The Dark Horizon
by logan
Summary: taiora many years have passed since the digidestined battled in the digiworld. Humanity has now fled to the stars with the aid of combat mechs known as digimon. from the digidestined, one shall rise to power. now the ancient digidestined are called
1. silver future

I don't own tai or Sora or any of the other characters. I do own the plot though. Ok well I am now on my new series. Sorry this took so long to come out, it was part not having inspiration and part going on vacation. Well this is the second series I will be doing and I hope it is good. I doubt it will be another genesis though. Genesis was based pretty heavily in the final fantasy series, this one is going to have a lot more gundam and EVA similarities. I'd like to apologize if this isn't that great, with genesis I had it planned out for every chapter. This one I just have some basic ideas for the plot, so I am kinda feeling my way through this. Once again this is going to be more on the dark side, with some sexual innuendos, some cursing, and of corse that blood and gore that resulted from a childhood with mortal kombat ^___^ I hope you enjoy it.

Let me know what you think at [logan91235@aol.com][1]

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Dark Horizon**

by Logan

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**_"Silver Future"_**__

  
  
  
  


Like a marble of blue and brown coloration it hangs there upon the mantle of the dark heavens. Silently spinning in a endless circle around the large glowing ember of a star. When viewed from so far away it looks clean and pure. Innocent as the age of the planet is still galactically no more then a child. Our world which has held us as a species for so long is no more then a child. But that child has suffered a hard life already. The earth shimmers in the heavens though it is tarnished upon closer inspection.

Overcrowded and poisoned our world was turned dark and desolate. It was like the forgotten ruins of some great temple which now is no more then hollow stones. Mankind fled the earth for the stars, and now the majority of the creature human dwells upon floating barges of steel stone and glass known as colonies. These colonies are maintained by vast supercomputers which hold them stationary in the great tides of space. Within these shells of glass and steel there was housed earth which was used to grow vegetation and create an artificial piece of the human home world. There was air, water, and life inside these massive colonies. Within each cell there was trees and grass which grew within the artificial earth, inside that colony with the fragments of nature was large buildings and streets which snaked around the hills of grass and trees.

The colonies were now as once there were cities on earth before the great population explosion that sent humanity out in search of more room to live. The cities were of varying size and stature. Some were no more then slums that mirrored earth in many ways. To walk the streets and be walking down a road of depravity where you could buy drugs, weapons, or prostitution. These colonies were naturally the cheapest to live in, and thus the majority of them were populated by the desolate families who were unsuccessful in their efforts to make a better life for themselves.

Other colonies were quite different however. Populated by the wealthy merchants or the shipping tycoons, some colonies were paradise made real. They had great beaches that had been created by flooding half the land with seawater and sand. There were lush jungles that bloomed with flowers that painted the air with the soft aroma of the flagrant blooms. The hillsides stretched as far as the eye could see with golden fields of grass and vegetation. It was in this setting that the elite made their homes.

Where there is wealth there is thieves. And in this new era of man that had carried over from the old. Shipping lines carried merchandise to the great markets and carried alloys and materials from the asteroid mining fields to the warehouses where these metals would be forged into ships or even colonies which were in construction. These targets called out to the marauder groups who hunted the dark tides of space like wolves in the darkened pathways of the forests.

  
  


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Like a massive train which was composed of compartments like the segments of a great steel centipede, the transport glided along slowly through the stillness of space. It was a cool dark grey with bright red running-lights which flashed like a strobe to set the freighter off from the black backdrop with which it now glided. 

It was flanked by several large machines that flew at it's side on the power of their own thrusters. Two had an almost human appearance though its model was covered in head to toe steel and armor with a large blade-like appendage in arm. The silvery steel glimmered faintly in the red light of the beacons as it glided at the side of the convoy. The mechanical frame's steel face was no more then several overlapping sheets of steel wrapped around the glossy black camera like

eye. It looked more like a gladiator in the roman arena of old then it looked like a modern machine. But in reality it was neither.

There were two of the second model which was more stretched from a humanoid form. it instead looked more prehistoric. It had a massive head and a incredibly imposing frame. Upon it's back the ridges of steel gave way to rocket silos. The thing's body was also composed entirely of steel though it seemed more worn then the humanoid model. These steel dragons had scorch marks over some of their armored flesh and bore deep gashes in some of the worn armored chest plate. These models had seen more action then the previous model and thus bore many more marrings to their superstructure. The thrusters at the creature's sides burned a soft orange as they kept pace with the faster and more agile units.

The com flicked on with a static hiss as the cockpit of the various units illuminated with the image of the unit commander who was piloting the larger saurian machine. He wore a black uniform with his rank shown clearly through the adornments it bore proudly over his chest.

  
  


"This is MetalTyranomon1 Looking for a confirmation on a shadow that just blipped on the radar. It was in the Y20 sector.." the image shifted to that of a young man wearing flight goggles in a matching uniform, though of lesser rank.

  
  


"Yeah this is knightmon3 I saw it too, but it must have been nothing. Just a censor ghost..." the voice was cut off as the space around it rippled to life and opened to reveal the form of a large mechanized figure that hovered closely to the frozen figure. With a sudden lurch the ghostly mech swiped out at the stunned figure. His hand was massive with four hooked talons of colossal perportune. The armored mech scrambled backwards, but was far too slow as the mighty gripping claw seized his head and with a sudden whoosh of hydriodic. With one motion the demon claw pulverized and ripped off the head from the frame. 

The metal shrieked out in agony as cables snapped in great explosions of blue sparks and splinters of wire. Gasses leaked from the decapitated frame in a great geyser of oxygen, which glowed a pale grey on the backdrop of space. The ghost model sneered down over the dead machine as it floated slowly off in the stillness of space.

  
  


"EMERGENCY!! ENEMY MECH.!!" the defender screamed over his com as he turned to face the specter of steel and cable. He was piloting a knightmon mech and making use of the higher speed capabilities he was able to spin around to face the now advancing bakamon. The twin machine-guns mounted onto his shoulder panels suddenly sprang to life as they screamed out with fire. The onslaught met the armored hull of the bakamon with a series of pings as the metal frame was being shot away. The damaged mech abandoned the charge as he pulled hard to the right where her hung there raining sparks from his wounded framework.

As the knightmon was turning to resume attack the space before him rippled as another bakamon mech. lowered its cloak device. Even before the enemy was completely in view the knightmon was attacked with a vicious series of slashes from his two clawed hands. The armored frame was shredded over the torso as the bakamon reared back to dodge the swipe from the third knightmon mech. He was gliding along with a certain grace as the sword glowed a angry red attempting to cut through the ghost mech. The chase ended when the night came alive with a new model. A phantomon. With a metalic shriek the glowing scythe cut the knightmon in half diagonally from the center. It rained fire and metal as the frame's generator blew leaving no more then glowing hot scraps of the mech.

The two metal-tyranomon began firing their chain-guns with a shrieking cry, the two mechs were able to dodge the fire, yet the wounded bakamon was caught in the blast and shredded to scraps of twisted metal. The two ghosts glided on the dark tides of space as the artillery screamed out shells upon them. with a sudden ripple of space they vanished from sight and as they did the two mechs lost the signal.

Space was calm as the sensors reached out like arms over the empty space that was concealing the shadowy frames of the killer mechs. The two survivors didn't speak over the communications relay for that might blind them to the moment before striking where the specters would shed wraith-mode and become visible. Metal-tyranomon were one of the stronger types of ultimate mech. In a firefight they could reduce far more then these two to smoldering charred frames of steel. But they were vulnerable to the sheer stealth these two mechanized weapons were capable of.

The freighter pilot was frantically hailing the two mechs. With a soft click the connection to the frantic man was severed. The captain had severed the connection himself as he watched the stars burn in the heavens so far away. His breath was so cold that it crystalized into a faint mist on his frothy mouth. He could feel the cold sweat on his back as he listened to the faint hum that radiated upward from the core of the mech's operating system. He whispered through the com to his subordinate who was taking soft breaths.

  
  


"Listen... on three I want you to dump the co2 cache. The second the gas is in space it will cling to the wraiths." his voice was quivering with terror as he spoke. He smelled the blood on the air and could taste his own bit lip.

  
  


3...

  
  


2....

  
  


1...

  
  


With a great whoosh of smoky air the armor plating popped from several plated joints. The gas swirled like a dervish in the zero gravity of space and surrounded the two and illuminating the cloaked forms of the hidden adversaries. He spun around only to see the shadowy form of the phantomon before him and still in it's cloak. The shadowy features rippled away to give way to the image of the mech, who had been discovered. He screamed as he fired blindly. He got off three shots before his weapon was ripped in half by the cutting edge of the energy scythe. He reeled back in horror as he watched the mech's arm floating gracefully in the void of space. Phantomon mechs are terrifying up close. They are modeled after a grim reaper with the overhaning visor that vaguely resembled a hood. There was the softest glint or red in the shadowy hollow of it's face. The specter's grip closed over the survivor's shoulder in a crunching grip as metal warped and bent. The pilot's eyes went white in horror as the blade of the scythe was slowly ripped up the torso until he was split in two from the middle. Blood flowed in great twisting ribbons in the zero gravity. The phantomon pushed off slowly and allowed himself to drift softly in the dark tides. The pilot smiled contentedly as he allowed himself to happily drift amidst the tortured wreckage of his foe while his partner finished with the last defender.

With a shriek of terror the rookie pilot bolted. Fear swelled within him as he pushed the throttle on the mech. His thrusters screamed as he jetted outward in a blind and frantic rush. The world blurred to him as the stars seemed to swirl in a massive vortex of terror driven delusion. The air burned in his lungs as the sweat rolled into his panicked and now stinging eyes. He was pushing the older frame far too hard. From the back of the cockpit he could smell the faintly crisp aroma of burnt wire and smoldering machinery. The thrusters burned white hot as they were forced to go too hard, but even as the very core of the frame rattled with the growing pressure he did not relent.

With a sudden clang of steel on steel the mech was knocked backwards. It hurtled wildly for a moment before regaining its equilibrium. The younger pilot could taste blood on his lips. It occurred to him that he must have bitten his tongue, yet the adrenaline was obscuring any pain that might have been felt. The space before him appeared clear, yet slowly rippled outward like clear water. The space gave way slowly to the form of a hellishly dark mech that blended to the endless night around him. Humanoid shape, though greatly distorted in certain aspects. The back was dominated by two large steel wings. They looked like the wings of a dragon, though they were actually a series of skeletal razorblades that flexed like the living wings of some decomposing bird. The demon mech had a long segmented tail which ended in a sharp and frightening barb. The mechanoid form was seemingly spawned from hell with its large steely horns and massively wicked claws that seemed like swords in themselves in the darkness of space.

The young soldier stared at the larger mech with blind terror. Its clawed feet clicked as the hooked talons curled over the unnaturally large feet. It reached forward slowly, and as it did the massive claws glistened in the light of the faint stars. It gripped the frame in its huge hand almost tenderly, yet that illusion was short lived as that same hand now gripped the mech tightly in a vice. 

Sparks errupted from the console as the various gauges and alarms blared. Then crackled and faded. The last thing the faint green monitor read before fading out was the scan of the enemy mech. The words flickered softly in the dying screen like firelight. 

  
  


'Devimon mech.' 

The pilot was still at the time he realized his death was now at hand. His own mech had been crushed to the point it would be useless even without the presence of the enemy. He listened as the hull groaned under the grip's pressure. The Devimon lowered a taloned finger to the twisted frame then with a slow movement ripped through the shell. Th man shrieked in agony as he was exposed to the vacuum of space. The searing throb of pressure built within him at a alarming rate until his lungs burst within his chest. He gurgled helplessly as his still body glided off in the dark tide.

  
  
  
  


"This is the Oran cargo transport, requesting immediate assistance! Multiple marauder mechs! Is anyone out there!?! Please respond, I'm in serious distress!" the pilot of the cargo freighter screamed into the com as he attempted to feebly outrun the advancing foes. 

His face would look distinguished had it not been for the extream terror that stared out through his mature and greying face. His brown eyes were alive with panic as he stared through the glass windshield upon the massive black mech that was gliding to him with a menacingly leisurely pace.

  
  


The screen crackled as it suddenly came to life with the image of a youth with long black hair and glowing amethyst eyes. The youth had pale skin and a far more pale expression. He was devoid of emotion as he looked into the image of the older man's horror stricken eyes. He wore a uniform with an unusually high collar that seemed to obscure some of his well defined chin. His lips pulled up to a soft smile which set his face off with shadows from his high cheekbones, eye sockets, and small shapely nose. The eyes were by far the most menacing part of him, they glowed brightly in the shadow cast from the inadequately placed lighting in the mech's cockpit pure violet. They glowed softly with an eerie radiance that cut the dark like the burning embers of a wild animal in the dead of night. 

  
  


"Don't waste your last breath." the youth chuckled as he glowered downward with a dark and foreboding smile. The devimon mech flexed before him with an intimidating show of it's massive size and vicious claws.

  
  


"We have cut off your signal, so I wouldn't expect any calvary if I were you." he smiled as he spoke with a soft and spectral voice that seemed both innocent and icy all at once.

  
  


"Who the hell are you?!?" the terrified man asked through his quivering and pasty lips.

  
  


"Me? Oh I suppose you won't be telling anyone. My call-sign is Demon, pilot of the devimon mech. And i have waisted enough time on you. Com off." before the man could cry out the screen went black. He paled as his eyes fell upon the demon-like mech. It reached out with it's clawed hand slowly, and withdrew a large metal staff from its side. He held the slightly curved rod forward and as he did the tip came alive with black fire that burned unhindered in the blackness of space. The dark fire was lined with the faintest edge of silver as it flared on the staff like a torch. Then with a soft bend the fire became pliant and turned to a smooth curved blade. The scythe glowed softly with the black fire that enlongated to a more massive blade that hissed softly like a serpent from the blackness of its burrow.

He reared back, bringing the massive weapon over his head, and then with a great heave brought it down over the steel vessel's cabin. The bearded man shreiked in horror and then agony

as in one swift motion the entire car was severed from the transport and incinerated in a large blast of flame and debris which rained outward in a swirling cloud of smoke fire and metal. The devimon mech stared blankly into the fires with a mesmerized look before drawing it's wings up in seeming ecstasy as it allowed the fire to engulf it. From inside the demonic frame the cold violet eyes radiated outward brightly as they reflected the carnage like glowing mirrors. In his hand the burning scythe hissed out for more.

  
  


The world of man had changed much after the journy to space. And as it advanced forward new weapons were called forth to bring death to the dark horizon's of space. Thease weapons were ancient ones. Ones that had exosted since the dawn of time, yet now were ressurected to a new plateau of devestation. Cybernetic combat engines. Large living machines that could be piloted by a human. They were fast and strong, capable of generating searing energy which could annihilate life. These mechs came in a variety of forms with a variety of abilities and strengths. They were the soldiers on the front lines of a war without end. They were the digimon.

  
  


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Once, long ago there were two worlds. One world was of earth air and water, the other was a shadow world of data. These two worlds had existed in peace for so very long that no man knew their origin. For as long as there had been an earth, there had been a digital world. The two were linked by a bond that could not be seen or touched, but could be felt all too well when evil reined. The symbiotic worlds were in tune to the other's suffering, and through that link they were cursed.

In the last years of peace mankind and digimon lived in harmony. They were equals and allies thanks to the efforts of a young man who became ambassador to the digital world in the first awkward years when digimon became commonly known to all mankind. Through his guidance the digimon were able to make a lasting peace with the human species. That peace would last up until the end. But to all things there must come an end.

The plague came out of nowhere. It struck the digital world first and within the first two days the planet was dying. Digimon fled their world through the portals in swarms, but by the time they had all made it to earth it was too late. The plague had adapted itself to affect actual digimon, and in those two days that followed there was more death then ever known. Digimon were dying. There were many efforts to battle the plague, yet none were working. Soon species of digimon became in danger of extinction. It was in this time that one of the eternal stepped forward.

He was a scientist, though no older then twenty. His eyes told a different story. Within those dark pools he had seen thousands of years, and known more death and horror then he had ever deserved to see. Those eyes shined with tears he had longed to shed for what seemed like centuries. He had come out of nowhere with a solution to the plague. Not a cure mind you, but a way to cheat it. He had created his own retro virus. A technological one that would turn digimon into a more robotic state. They would forever be changed, but through the dark cure they could live.

Digimon became living machines which could function faster and better then any human device. They had taken the form of large mechanized creatures that could still partner to a human, though now in a different way. Their skin was neither steel nor flesh. It was instead a piece of living metal that thought and existed in many ways like we do. They could however not function without a pilot to aid them. Thus, the digital wars would continue as they had since the beginning.. With digimon and human working together.

  
  
  
  


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"Commander... Long-range report from demon. He was successful in his raid of the Oran cargo freighter. He suffered minimal casualties to his party and was able to acquire a large sum of various.." the young man in the black uniform was cut off from his report by a gruff reply from the figure cloaked in the darkness of his ready-room. Little was visible of the figure except a glimmer of his chin which was bathed in a neatly trimmed golden beard. He wore a dark leather officer's jacket which fell over him like the black wings of some dark angel. His voice was like gravel as he leaned forward and illuminated the rest of his face. He was handsome with his sapphire blue eyes and striking hair and goatee of sun kissed gold.

  
  


"It wasn't housing the X- 2 though..."

  
  


"N-No sir... the transport was carrying only oar from the asteroid field." the blond man chuckled darkly as he stood. He was much taller then the younger officer and though he was only twenty-five he seemed to be older then time. Like some massive statue of granite from the long past. His trench-coat opened as he stood, revealing a dark green shirt. He wore baggy black pants that just covered the top of his glossy black boots. His eyes glowed like shimmering sapphires in the dim light of the darkened room.

  
  


"You will have demon escort the transport back to base. Then inform the reconnaissance team that they shall continue monitoring for the transport carrying the prototype. And the next time they confirm the signal they are to make sure it is the right transport. We cannot afford to make the U.E.S alliance hesitant about the transport of the prototype digimon mech." he tugged at his collar to reveal a large gaping scar that carried from one side of his throat horizontally across his windpipe. He noticed the direction of the young officer's gaze and smirked.

  
  


"You're looking at my scar aren't you?" the young soldier jumped in shock by his leader's sudden change of topic. It was rare for commander Ishida to make a comment like this.

  
  


"I'm sorry sir.. I didn't mean to."

  
  


"It was a gift. A gift from someone I once called brother." he trailed off.

  
  


"Sir?"

  
  


"Not literally of corse... I have no siblings. He was once my best friend, my partner and in many ways, my brother, now... " he traced the scar with his hand subconsciously. "Now he is the person I am destined to kill."

  
  


Yamato raised his hand to the young officer and undid the button on his long sleeve. He pulled it away from his wrist so the young man could see the marking. Upon his wrist he bore a black tattoo emblazoning the ancient crest of friendship. The officer's jaw dropped and he took several steps back upon recognizing the mark.

  
  


"You see the rumors you have heard are true. I am one of them... and so is the one who gave me this. It has been our destiny to destroy one another since the beginning..." he motioned for the young officer to leave and without hesitation his orders were complied with. In fact the young man seemed to run down the corridor. He was afraid of the commander as many of them were. The man possessed a power to him. A strange force that gave him the appearance of being older then time. He was fearsome in a way that words could not carry.

He slowly walked back into the darkness of the room and made a slow stride to the port window which faced outward into the endless dark of space. In the distance there were stars which burned with a destructive light that from close proximity could kill more effectively then any mech. That power called to yamato as he looked out over the faint silver glow that bore the faintest whisper of the real fury that twinkled in the distance. It was that power that he was hunting for. It was the power of the cosmos that bid him onward in his one man war against the heavens and earth.

  
  
  
  


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They were fools to make the X series. To go so far in their quest for knowledge that they made themselves gods of digital flesh. They were beings born in the endless darkness of space from a genetic stew. The scientists of the united earth space alliance were so pathetically foolish to try toying with the power that had given birth to yamato Ishida... that power made gods and now mankind was attempting to take hold of this force in his two clumsy hands. But if they were fool enough to make mechs that were strong enough to destroy planets, then he would use them. 

The X series was as classified as any military project got. But it was still all too easy for yamato. He intercepted their transmissions about the transport of the most powerful mech in creation. A child digimon mech, but still a devastatingly powerful one that would grow strong enough to evoke the fire of the heavens and channel that power to a force capable of destroying an entire world.

  
  


The X-2... codename for the Greydramon mech. A creature created strictly out of mankind's folly. They had taken the base genetics of the two warring classes of digimon and blended them together to create a new species. Yamato remembered the greymon and the dramon. They were a memory that stretched centuries, but still a very important one. They were two warring species that killed the other in the most spectacular battles. They were among the strongest two classes of digimon. And now they were combined to one by mankind. The fledgling mech was to be transported to the lunar military complex where it would be partnered to a worthy U.E.S. officer.

The Greydramon was choosy. There were several attempts to bring a suitable pilot to the mech to be partnered. But they were rejected by the mech and shunned. The decision was made to move it to a rookie training outpost on the moon where the Greydramon's power would help shape a youth to be it's partner. But to do that the mech would be transported over empty space. That left it open to raiding attacks. Secrecy was important so the guards would be few. They relied on the sheer secrecy of it to protect the X project. 

There were five X units. The X-1 was in a way Greydramon's brother. A powerful mech that also contained Greydramon DNA. It was the stronger of the two simply because it was older then the younger mech and thus more mature with its power. It was a devastatingly powerful weapon that had come to be called Seth, the Egyptian god of darkness. It was a killer from the beginning, and thus difficult to control without a partner. They had housed it in a private laboratory in one of the asteroid based facilities.

Within the year the base was destroyed in a massive explosion that was attributed to the Seth mech. The result was the mech.'s own destruction in the blast. Or so they thought. Un-known to them it was yamato who caused the destruction when he stole the Seth. The two were now partnered, and thus yamato held the greatest weapon ever to be known. He smiled softly as he allowed his mind to drift through the faculty's many corridors until it felt the mech.'s presence deep beneath. It slept there in the catacombs of the base. It was still as it remained within the dark sleep, yet through their link yamato was able to feel it calling to him. It was dreaming of the day when the two of them would meet the enemy in battle. But for now they both knew that the key to this game was patience. They couldn't risk forcing the Greydramon into battle, for it was one of the few beings capable of endangering the Seth. So for the time being both yamato and Seth remained patient.

  
  


The second X was Greydramon. He and Seth were the only two actual digimon mechs of the five. The X-3 and X4 were a different breed of life. A rare abomination that mankind feared more then he feared any other thing. They were considered a breed of unclean demons who were both digimon and human.

Digimon human hybrids were rare. And due to their power feared immensely. Their numbers were few and many of them had chosen to live a life of isolation in deep space where humanity could not follow. Like all digimon, the hybrids were capable of surviving in space. Thus they were able to escape their pursuers in the dark tides of the endless sea of stars.

The third and fourth of the X series were hybrids who were captured as children. A boy and a girl who were already imensly powerful. The human scientists toyed with the idea of creating a super powerful digimon hybrid soldier. They used genetic alterations on the two children for most of their lives. The two became so strong that they were able to escape the complex. They fled to earth, and were able to escape their pursuers for five years.

The reports were sketchy for those five years but resumed during the massive assault. Their captors had returned for them.

  
  
  
  
  
  


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17 years ago

The earth was stale and brittle, like the shell of a long dead beatle that had fallen and baked away to ivory shell under the malicious kiss of the sun. It was brown and dry seemingly ready for the fire that at one time would have burned off the dead grass to bring new hope to the budding grass that rested beneath the soil. There was no grass waiting to emerge. Seemingly no life at all that waited to exist in the world of the forgotten. In the distance massive buildings of weather worn concrete and steel stood like ancient soldiers who were bathed in a strange mist that didn't fade come the heat of the day, but instead remained there unhindered by the weather. The city was huge, though it would grow no larger. There was no manpower to expand upon the once mighty metropolis that now stood stagnant in the distance.

The sky was a red that seemed that of a sunset over the Arizona mesas, yet it was not on the verge of darkness. Soft clouds wafted by on a hot wind that never brought relief from the heat. The clouds were bathed red under the fiery heavens that had long since thinned to the point of no longer keeping out the burning rays of the sun out. There was life on this dead ball of dirt known as the earth. Life that perhaps was more pure then that of the life which lived in the black velvet of space. Families who were on the verge of starvation would huddle together in the darkness of those ancient buildings until the sun set. And once that sun did set they would venture out in search of the rare food that was not poisoned, or the rarer still water. The earth was slow to give of itself, but it did still offer what it could to the last of it's children who would not leave it.

It was in this world of the forgotten and dead that the two children had grown. They had chosen this world of the forgotten for that is what they wanted most. To forget. To forget the X series tattoo's on their necks. They had grown up in this land and actually thrived here. And as they grew the two grew to love one another.

The world they lived in didn't want them. So they made a world of their own on this place once called earth. And they were happy in this world of their own with the people who were too preoccupied with survival to hate them. This world was destroyed in one moment. The scientists had returned for them, but this time they came with soldiers on both foot and on mech. The world they had tried to make for themselves was gone. Now they had nothing left for themselves but each other. They fought back.

  
  
  
  


His eyes glowed, they glowed a volcanic red as he frantically fought back against the digimon mechs. He was a handsome young man with long white hair that cascaded over his muscular frame. Upon his back he wore two large wings of the same steely flesh that all digimon were born with. The wings were that of a great metal dragon and as he fought it became clear that he was part airdramon. 

He snarled out in a low hiss as he flew directly into one of the massive digimon mechs. His fingers had elongated to talons which he used to slash with deep clanging blows. Though small, his claws were incredibly adept at destruction. The enemy mech stumbled backwards over the earth as the shirtless male who was no older then 19 ripped the twisted frame of the pilot from the bleeding chest of the mortally wounded digimon. The weapon slumped over in seeming pain as the human controller was torn to bits in those massive razor claws. 

He screamed in pain as the weapon fire from a second mech cut into his side. The force of the blast threw him from the dying mech yet was not enough for a quick kill. He spun around to face the coming attack in spite of his bleeding side which was now forming a red pool at his feet.

He screamed out in rage as the air around him grew hot and seemed to smolder like hot smoke. Wispy tendrils of energy curled around his outstretched arms as he growled in a low and feral tone. His side bled freely as the wafting ribbons of energy suddenly exploded outward in a blue beam of sapphire light. He snarled in rage as the beam of energy punched through the upper torso of the advancing mech.. It reeled back as the blue flame swallowed up the steel and flesh in a great blast. The maimed form hobbled back three steps before collapsing. It's entire body from the waist up had been burned off, leaving only the charred hindquarters to testify that it had at one point been whole.

  
  


"Sir, the X-3 has been engaged. It is putting up a fight!" one of the lieutenants yelled over the cry of machine guns into his com, where the elderly face of his superior peered back at him through the crackling reception of his monitor.

  
  


"Any sign of the X-4?"

  
  


"Yes sir! She is keeping back from the battle. It looks like the male is attempting to protect her."

  
  


"Listen! You are to eliminate both of the two rogues! They pose too great a threat if they are allowed to survive! Do not attempt capture of the two!" the com faded off to static as the young soldier turned back to the winged figure who had just chopped through a series of soldiers without mechs. He paused as his foe dropped to the ground and his wings closed over his torso that was bleeding badly. He looked to the female with the long dark hair and matching crimson eyes. She looked pleadingly to him as he stood there in a soft daze from blood loss. He staggered a step closer to her as the lieutenant raised his mech's weapon. The left arm was mounted with a massive chain-gun that fired bursts of ammunition. It glistened in the red sun with a dark luster.

  
  


"S.. Shara..." he rasped out as his wings opened to his mate. He smiled sadly at her as she opened her own wings which looked more like those of an angel. Within the protective mass of feathers an infant squirmed in discomfort against her naked breast. The female child's red eyes met with those of her father's in a soft communion. She whimpered sadly as her mother held her tightly in her soft and yet inhuman arms.

  
  


"Da..." she murmured in gibberish as she looked at the blood soaked figure of her father. He smiled weakly to her as he repeated her name again with a tone of love. "Shara.."

  
  


His eyes lifted upward to that of his mate. She looked to him with tears running down her gentle cheeks. She tried her best to smile at him, but instead found herself mouthing out a last 'I love you' to him. He smiled at her for an instant before the scream of the weaponry rang out. He was shredded under the barrage and with a splash of crimson he fell to the earth face down in a pool of blood. His wings slowly slumped downward as the last tinge of life left him.

The female looked at her mate with a sadness that words would fail. She looked down to her daughter and kissed her head softly as she looked up to face her killers. They were fast in their work as she now had no will to fight. She was too weak from the loss of her mate and the birth of her daughter to put up any great escape. All it took was a single shot before she died, still clutching her child.

  
  


"Sir, we have eliminated the rogues, but we have a subject of inquiry. The female and male were guarding a child."

  
  


"Human?"

  
  


"No sir, the child is one of them. Should we eliminate it as well?" his superior milled over the question for a moment before responding.

  
  


"No... take the offspring, and deliver it to the laboratory complex..."

  
  


"Permission to speak freely?"

  
  


"Granted."

  
  


"These things are a blight on existence. Every last one of them should be eradicated. And this one will grow to be just like her parents. Are you certain it's wise? Sparing it I mean.."

  
  


" the X project suffered enough of a setback with the rogues. This creature could limit the losses we took here. Deliver it to the appointed place... unharmed...." the com clicked off and the soldier turned to the squirming child who was looking up at him with eyes that flickered for an instant with red light before returning to the more normal red that appeared to be this animal's eye color. That flash troubled the officer for a moment as he looked down over it. It was as though for a moment they changed, like something beyond those eyes awoke.

  
  


"You are one lucky bitch. I would just assume stomp you here and now. But I suppose they want to have an X-5... I hope they dissect you." he snarled as he studied the child's face. Then let his eye wander to her right wrist where a symbol of a heart was tattooed in dark black ink.

  
  


"Savages... they even tattoo their offspring..." he spat with disgust as he gathered up the child that he hated entirely on the grounds of what she was. A monster.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


***************************

  
  
  
  


****The air was warm and flavored with the softest scent of wildflower wafting on the gentle breeze that brushed over the skin gently. The skies above were blue, though beyond them the glassy dome of the colony was visible in the soft haze of great distance. The hillsides were lush with green grass and the occasional white blossom of wild heather that peeked up from the grassy meadow floor.

He ran in a crouch along that uneven earth. He was far too visible here in his solid black attire. The grass grew taller as he went deeper into the lush hillside. It parted for him as he slithered through the reeds like a serpent in the grass. He was close to the first perimeter wall now and as he caught sight of the guard, ducked into the shadow of a nearby tree. He stared up at the guard through his serious brown eyes and remained frozen in the crouched position. His hand slowly slid to his side, where he gripped the gun's handle. He didn't squeeze, simply fingered it softly. the guard continued to walk down the Stoney wall completely oblivious to the crouching figure who was no more then a few feet away.

The second the sentinel had passed him, he moved. He was quick and as silent as a shadow while he leapt atop the stone embankment. As he began his silent dash tword the 30 year old guard his hand left his weapon and took it's place at his side. He was a foot away when the guard spun around, and by then it was too late. The youth seized him by the head and jerked his head in an unnatural degree. It snapped with a crunch as the man slumped to the waiting arms of his killer. The figure in black wasted no time as he pitched the still warm body over the wall and into the cover of the old twisted tree that had offered the assassin sanctuary just a moment ago. The figure fell with a thud and remained still.

He crouched on the stone wall like a gargoyle as he raised a pair of binoculars to his chocolate brown eyes. He stared out over the stretching horizon that was filled with sapphire pools of clear water and marble statues and pillars that reminded Taichi of ancient Greece. It would be easy in spite of all the security. The perimeter was not meant to facilitate top security. It would clash with the target's decadent lifestyle. There were plenty of guards who all wore black suits and shades to add to the intimidating nature of themselves, but there was even more places to hide. As he planned his rout he decided that he may not have to kill any other guards if he was careful.

The air was still now as he leapt from the stony wall and proceeded to glide through the courtyard from shadow to shadow. He was careful in his steps as he proceeded, for if he were forced to kill them all it would make the real mission far too difficult to be worth his while. He was payed for one death, all other murders would be a misuse of time. He ducked under the statue of a naked woman holding a vase. He was so tightly pressed to that sculpture that he felt the cool stone against his skin. He held his breath tightly as he listened to the sound of footfalls to his left. The man was continuing with his patrol, completely unaware. 

Tai smiled darkly as he sprinted from his hiding place for the rear entrance to the large white mansion that was no more then several feet away. He was fast as he made his way from the last potential hiding place to the large glass door. He tried the lock only to find that the security was as much the joke he had imagined it to be earlier. He pushed it open and slipped through the threshold before the man could turn. Tai was careful as he softly slid the door back to place. It clicked softly as the bolt snapped into place.

He debated locking it, before finally deciding it would be noticeable if someone recalled it having previously been open. Granted it would be a minor discrepancy, but he would be better off if no one decided to investigate out of curiosity. 

He slipped through the kitchen which was methodically clean, and just as overly done as the property. It was fitted with marble countertops and shimering ornate faucets. There was a large steely refrigerator pressed against the wall that looked capable of housing enough food for a small army. Tai didn't like this target, not that it mattered of corse, but he didn't like him. He was the kind to show off too much. This kitchen was made to house great culinary feats, but Taichi assumed it had been put to use no more then four times since it's construction. Odds being that the owner had his meals delivered for lack of time. He was too cheap to pay for a cook, he barley kept a single maid to tend to the entire house.

Taichi didn't know why this man had to die, he didn't ask. It wasn't his job to know these things, all he needed to know was the basic information on the target. Thermal scans had placed him on the upper level while surveillance had identified the room to be his study.

He would be alone... the man had no family or real friends. He preferred to distance himself and that included from his protection. No guard was permitted on that floor. Taichi smirked softly at how easy this man was making it for him. He would achieve his objective with no more complications. Taichi slipped up the stairs, careful to avoid the solitary security camera which was not adequately placed to assure a wide range of vision. The house had some beautiful qualities to it though. On the walls hung a vast array of paintings that were tempting Taichi to pause to admire them. he ignored it, no time, plus he didn't want to regret part of the job... he kept moving down the hall until he came to the large honey-gold wood of the target's study.

Taichi looked at the door for a moment. Then the room itself. The wallpaper was a soft cream with rich wooden moldings. To the door's left there stood a small table that was big enough only to accommodate the vase which was filled with flowers. The vase was of corse designer. It shimmered with rainbow hues where the light touched it. But the flowers were quite beautiful in a different way. Small sprigs of heather, like that which grew beyond the perimeter.

Tai knew why he had heather in the vase, why it was planted sporadically through the estate. His target, Richard Moteya, once had a wife by the name of heather. She had died years ago, and after her death Richard had went through this metamorphosis to the man he now was. It was as though heather was the chain that tethered him to humanity, without her he had drifted off into business. Through that business he had amassed an even greater fortune, but made quite a few enemies. One of those enemies was the reason tai had been sent.

He reached to his utility-belt and withdrew a black instrument that looked somewhat cylindrical, though modified to a grip. His eyes darkened as he took it in his hand and with a flick of his thumb released the trigger. With a whoosh of steel the tool snapped outward in three sections which snapped to one another in a silvery curved scythe. The weapon was quick and utterly silent. He preferred using weapons like this, ones that wouldn't leave a trace as a spent shell and slug would from a gunshot. The blade was sharpened with lasers to an edge no wider then a molecule, then the steel was chemically treated to augment strength. It would be brutally fast and infinitely efficient. Thought it would be bloody... tai wasn't fond of that part of the job, the blood. Even after he would shower he would still be able to feel the coppery liquid on his skin. He hated that part.

His dislike of the gore aside, it was time to do his job. He stepped to the door and knocked sharply several times. Almost immediately he heard the bellowing voice of the target. He snarled out a long string of curse words. Taichi waited a moment before rapping again, this time louder then before. He continued until he could pick up the footsteps of his prey. As predicted he was thundering out to tear into the idiot guard who was persistently irritating him during his work. The shiny brass nob turned suddenly as the door was jerked open.

  
  


The man stared at tai in shock. His face was bitter and old, even when partially hidden under the thick grey beard and moustache which was meticulously trimmed.. The man was still unaware of who Taichi was, and though he was shocked to see this strange young man standing right here in the middle of his guarded home he was not afraid. Taichi didn't let the moment linger to two. If the man thought about it he would likely scream for help. Before the man could move a single step back Taichi had raised up the scythe. When the realization did hit him it was too late. 

Taichi whipped the edge of the weapon down over the man's throat. Tai cringed lightly as he felt the splatter against his skin. He was used to blood, he made his living off of it, but he still didn't like the way it felt on his skin. He was born to blood, it was his place in life. The first cut went deep enough to cut off the voice box. Taichi moved almost like a dancer as he spun around and in one fluid motion cut to the vertebrae. The steel scraped bone and as he pulled back the blade the man was dead, hands still clutching the gaping throat. He clicked the bloody weapon back to it's compact form and returned it to it's place at his belt.

He pulled the body farther into the room and then let it drop with a saturated thud off dead and wet flesh. Tai went to his belt and withdrew a squeeze bottle which he emptied over the corpse and then the floor around him. He was stone as he did this, a professional. After the bottle was empty he lay it on the man's chest. The air smelled thick with blood and Taichi almost gaged as he felt the warm beads of the target on his flesh. He shook the thought off, it was just blood, the same substance he had seen a thousand times before.

He withdrew a cylindrical rod from his side and unscrewed the cap which he tossed atop the man's chest next to the bottle. He pointed the thing away from himself before activating it. It flashed bright red as the tip erupted with a geyser of red fire. The flare stung his eyes as he held it away from himself. he turned to the man who lay there saturated in the liquid that Taichi had brewed himself for this purpose. It was a thin gel now that it was exposed to open air. He reached over with the flare and touched the crimson fire to the substance. With a great whoosh of flames the body was engulfed. Taichi backed away as the floor around it sizzled with the same red fire as flesh was being burned to ash. The smell was nauseating, thus he backed away quickly doing what he could not to breath the black smoke that was now billowing from the remains which were now more bone and ash then flesh.

Taichi turned and touched the flare to the wall. The creamy wallpaper was quick to catch. Tai walked around the room and proceeded to torch all the walls and furniture. The flare was designed to burn hotter then regular fire and thus all was quick to catch the whole room ablaze. Tai walked to the door and turned back to the flaming skeleton which was still burning, and would continue to burn until it was no more then ash. He tossed the flare away back into the room as he stared at the charred remains.

  
  


"Mission completed.." he muttered darkly as his hand found it's way to a silver band on his upper arm. He depressed a key on the band which brought it to life with crackling energy. The band was made to act as a portable cloaking device, similar to the one used by certain mechs. It was however a device he couldn't rely on indefinitely due to the short half-life of its power cell. But now as he stood there with the fire spreading it became a more useful tool. It stung his skin as he looked down to his slightly reddened hands which rippled softly as if viewed from under water. He was not crazy about the personal cloaking device. The thing was seriously a pain in the ass. It burns when on, and watching your body turn transparent is somewhat nauseating.

The flesh rippled outward into the scenery as though it were suddenly smoke which dissipated away into the clear air. He could feel the band on his arm burn as he ran down the hall in a slow and yet hasty stride. He was not comfortable enough in the half hour of power stored in the fusion cells. The fire was spreading and as it did the alarm filled the air as the sea of guards panicked. Some rushed to summon the colony control operatives, who would be able to put out the blaze which was already consuming the upper wing of the mansion. Some had brushed past the spectral Taichi in the futile effort of rescuing their employer who was obviously smoking and inattentive to where he tossed a seemingly spent cigarette. That's what they would assume.. It would seem strange that he was completely consumed in the fire and that it could spread so fast even in a non-upgraded home.

Taichi wished all his targets would be this simple. He only had to take two lives, his target, and the one unavoidable sentry who quit possibly would appear to have fallen and snapped his neck in the impact. Tai cleared the house and turned back only to find the beautiful architecture and furnishing already smoldering thick black smoke which lifted high into the shallow sky of the colony. By the time the colony employees came with sonic blasters to smother the fire it would be too late. By now the room had been purged of all that reeked of assassination. Sure they would consider it a possibility, but they would let it drop because the officials were not in the habit of taking up impossible investigations during the beginning of a war. The marauders were pressing the powers that be to a conflict by the gorilla war tactics. The winds of change were howling out there in the vacuum of space. Taichi could hear the low mournful cries of those winds out there beyond the dome, but he was relatively sure of his own survival for the simple fact that there would always be a need for men of his talent. And no matter how hard the winds of change would blow the sands of civilization the nature of man could not be changed so easily. He would always be needed for there would always be jobs for assassins.

  
  
  
  


***************************

Taichi walked down the sunlit street with a slow and leisurely stride. He passed the civilians who were dressed in torn clothing and rags worn as cloaks to shield themselves from the harsh nature of their world. The sky was a pale yellow that carried the sun's rays through the gentle haze of brownish thick clouds. The street was abustle with motion and sound as the boy in the black outfit walked down the cracked street which was littered with refuse. He stood out amongst them in the fact that he was not dressed in rags, he wore baggy black pants with a tight muscle shirt of the same dark hue. His dark coat was out of place in the considerable heat of the drifter colony. There were no lush parks here or grassy fields here, simply an endless walkway of stone and steel. The shambled buildings loomed high on top of one another in a great series of dark towers that were inadequate in housing the thousands of lost soles who called this place home.

He stood upon a higher hill that allowed him to look out over the endless sea of suburbia which entwined together in a great entity composed of thousands and thousands of buildings each which was defaced by lack of upkeep or vandalization. He allowed his eye to wander down the main road which trailed the colony's personnel level which sat atop the machinery that maintained the colony's temperature and orbit. 

The air smelled of spices that were wafting over from the nearby cart. A short Asian woman who wore wrinkles like some where makeup was selling stir-fry. There was a sheet of metal that sizzled with oil and some vegetables which crackled and smoldered under the heat. She stirred them as she periodically arranged the cubes of meat that was questionable as to what animal it originated as. Tai continued to walk down the street and as he turned a corner, felt a sharp point press to his back. He sighed in annoyance as he slowly turned to face the youth who held the blade to him. The boy was sweating nervously as he attempted to look menacing. The knife jabbed Taichi and it did hurt, but not anywhere near as much as he had been hurt. His eyes found the youth's with a strange darkness that sent a shiver down the spine.

  
  


"Give me your money asshole! Right now!" the mugger screamed in a frantic rage. Taichi looked down into him with a gaze that caused the youth to take a step back. He stepped forward and the youth held the knife more menacingly. Taichi stared into him and the youth was afraid. Those eyes were darker then black as they focused on him. He could see his own face reflected in the dark globes which shimmered with an icy light.

  
  


"No..." he whispered darkly as the boy's eyes went white with fear. In that instant he pulled up his hand which was holding the gun that the youth never saw. It halted an inch from his face, in a speed that was blinding. The pulse weapon hummed angrily as it remained fixed to the boy's face. He was no older then thirteen and now as he looked into the face of the young assassin looked ready to urinate in his pants. Tai could smell the fear in the air as he laughed softly before turning his back on the boy and walking away, leaving the young mugger standing there in a stupor.

Taichi entered the bar and took in the sudden culture shock as his ears were assaulted by loud music. The place was called the inferno. The name was scrolled across the bar in sheets of steel lettering which was illuminated by a red spotlight that gave the word a more sinister appearance. The room was dark and illuminated only by the neon glow of various signs that hummed softly with a strangely eerie radiance. The bar was far from triple A status, it was a cesspool of dark and concealing shadows and scorch marks on the walls.

The band was in and now stood upon the cold grey steel stage. They were playing a gothic rock song that blared through the amplifiers. The lead singer stood there rocking back and forth to his own music that was being played upon his dark guitar. The singer had a cold voice that was undistinguishable as to wether it was a voice all his own or just one used for the song. But after looking at his features he assumed the former. The youth had jet-black hair that was kept in long twisting dreadlocks. He was pale as a sheet of ivory that clashed with his thick black tattoos, which trailed from his shirtless torso to the brow of his forehead. They snaked around his cheek with patterns of bones and ribs which hooked like fangs. He was definitely at home in the inferno.

The clientele was also a shade away from Stirling. There were many colorful characters, some were teenage girls clad in black leather skirts and halter tops so tight that Taichi wondered how high a pain-tolerance it would take to put them on. Some were obviously prostitutes and showing no degree of shyness as they rubbed up to their prospective clientele.

A tall man sat at the bar and nursed a thick mug of one of the more potent alcohols. Tai sat next to the man at the bar and observed him as he waited for the server. The man had a thick black beard that was not neatly trimmed or kept up. He wore a set of body armor that, as tai observed, was not military in origin. Tai also noted the massive gun on his hip that looked like it had received more maintenance in the last two days then the man had in the last two years.

A platinum-blond moved across from him at the bar and smiled sweetly. He returned the grin with a slight upward turn to his own mouth. She was very attractive from her well defined curves to her painted red lips. Her eyes were the kind of green that can make someone stop to stare. They shone like newly cut emeralds kissed by the sun. they matched her soft skin and creamy complection all too easily. She was a beautiful girl in almost every aspect of the word. Tai chuckled as he noted that so many of the other customers were staring with glossy eyes at her breasts that were hard to conceal behind the revealing shirt that had earned her the bigger tips. 

She had a small heart tattoo on her cheek, the small marking didn't do anything for Taichi personally, but he did note that it didn't hurt her appearance at all. In fact he assumed some might find it a turn on.

  
  


"You like it? I just had it done this morning..." she offered as she began mixing his 'usual.'

  
  


"It's not really my thing, Harmony." he shrugged.

  
  


"Oh please.. How long have you been coming here tai? At least two years... you should know by now how much I loath that name." he smiled softly.

  
  


"Fine, Harm. It just makes you sound mean."

  
  


"Who's to say I'm not?" she quipped.

  
  


"Wait a sec, not your thing? You're not into tattoos? You have a tattoo right here!" the woman lifted up his arm and pulled back his sleeve to expose his wrist. The tan flesh was marred with the thick black emblem of a sun. tai pulled back his hand and stared at the girl with a fierce expression that she had not seen from the quiet young man before. She stepped back as he continued to stare with a dark ferocity. He pulled his sleeve back over his wrist with no levity in his actions.

  
  


"Don't ever do that again..." he warned.

  
  


"But.. I j-just..."

  
  


"Don't...." he replied softly as his eyes shifted from her emerald green orbs to his amber hued drink. He raised it to his lips and took a deep gulp that burned like battery acid on his throat. She stared at him for a moment before moving on to another customer. He watched from the corner of his eye as the kind waitress continued serving the scum of humanity. And perhaps he belonged with them.. Another soul that had been lost to the dark world that humanity now had been damned to. 

He listened to the voice of the singer, the man with the hateful tone that appealed to so many but also repelled Taichi so profoundly. He listened as he drank for a time, allowing himself time to absorb the nature of his life. He looked at them, the demons in human disguise who took refuge within this bar. Thugs, prostitutes, thieves, and of corse killers like himself. he finished off the drink and withdrew the small black laptop from his deep pocket.

He pressed in his personal password then accessed his bank account. He read the figure and found a light grin touch his lips. The client had already paid. Good.. That's one less person to hurt. Some of them were too slow and would require a visit, or in some cases a lesson. But this guy paid well and he was quick to pay for the assassination of his competitor. Tai sighed heavily as he clicked the laptop off and returned it to its place in his coat.

He turned his gaze over to the angelic woman at the bar. She was cleaning up a pool of blood left by one of the many bar fights. She had a look in her eyes that Taichi tried so hard to ignore. It was a look he saw in the eyes of a lot of people nowadays. A silent despair that began in the soul and leaked outward through the eyes, like tears of blood. The look was there, and tai saw it all too clear. Just as clearly as he saw the marks on the beautiful young woman's arms left by the needles. He stared at the malignant red marks with silent disdain.

"The species is fucked..." he muttered under his breath with disgust as he stood. He tossed the appropriate change on the bar before making his way back out of the inferno, and strait into hell.

  
  


**The horizon stretches off into a world we cannot yet conceive. **

**From the great distance of years we cannot see far enough to know the destination.**

**It looms before us as the thundering of storm clouds which rumble far away.**

**We make our future with each breath and each sin**

**live today and revel in it. **

**For the dark horizon grows one day closer.**

  
  
  
  


**Not the end...**

   [1]: mailto:logan91235@aol.com



	2. shadowy agendas

I don't own em so leave me alone ^_^ ok well in my estimation this series has begun like a steaming pile. I am hoping that I haven't slit my throat with chapter 1 here, but i hope that the coming chapters will redeem it. The idea i have for this fic makes it confusing, thus i explain it a bit sooner then i should in this chapter just so you all will have the slightest idea what i am doing with this fic. I hope this one won't turn out to be a big disappointment. Oh and i do know that i am always casting matt in a villain pose. Sorry to the matt lovers but i just don't like him... though i think as an antagonist he has a lot of usefulness...

Let me know what you think at [logan91235@aol.com][1]

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Dark Horizon**

  
  


By Logan

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**"Shadowy Agendas"**

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The water pooled to the ankles of his large boots that shimmered with a dull luster of gold trim that no longer shined. The pool was not clear and yet not mud either, the water was malignantly dark with the faintest red hint as the general stood there within the runoff. The air was filled with smoke that billowed outward like great black wreaths. The air also carried the faintest flavoring of burnt wood and flesh. The smell billowed on the winds like wilted rose petals. 

His armor was of blackish cobalt chain-mail. Atop that sat plated gold armor that was carved out by artisans of limitless skill. Dragons stretched across the breastplate over fields of cherry-blossoms that too were of gold and silver. He studied his hands and found them to be not his own, though they too were masked beneath armored gloves that appeared heavy, but seemingly bore no weight. He wore a kimono of gold and green silk that trailed like a cape behind him. A large golden mask sat atop his head like a visor. The dragon mask stared outward in a seeming roar with scales of gold that were dusted ever so gently by silver. His eyes were rubies that glowed in the dim light. The mask had two ears which were perked atop his head that was crowned with horns and barbs. He felt at home in this guise of a golden dragon. As though it were really his skin and not simply a suit of armor.

He looked up to the heavens and saw them alive with tiny flecks of gold over the blackened sky. He watched as the tiny embers sailed gracefully through the air before plummeting back to earth. Each arrow glowed like a shooting star in the dark tides of the artificial night. They landed with a soft impact upon the earth or upon the already aflame ramparts of the enemy's turrets. The youth was shaken from his dreamlike trance by the savage battle cry so close to him. He turned and saw the face of a man with armor molded to him. The man ran tword the dumbstruck youth with a large katana drawn. He was screaming in a language that seemed so familiar, yet pushed away into a dense haze.

As though his actions were that of a puppet, the youth pulled the trident, held tightly in his hand upward. The swing was massive and as it collided with the blade, rang out in a shrill shriek of metal on metal. With a sudden movement that he did not know to make he felt his weight shift, and the large spear twirl around through the air. The samurai cried out in shock as the jarring pole crushed into his side and snapped the bone in his arm. 

The motion did not stop as the staff spun in his hands. The face of that nameless adversary became alive with terror as he screamed out words that could not be understood. The trident's lethal point buried itself deep into the chest and past the armor which cracked away under the force of the impact. In that instant all was still as the samurai perished. 

The silence was thicker then tar as the warrior with the golden armor stared in horror at his actions, though he felt no power to speak, or even to move. The puppet master bid him move, and he did. Stepping from the pool of bloody water where the samurai now lay along with other men that remained locked in the icy stare of the dead.

He turned and found himself roaring with a battle cry as he rushed into a tangled mass of swords and spears. The war that went on around him was troubling, yet not so troubling that it was robbing him of his senses. He found himself moving faster and more alertly then any man could. The trident gleamed silver in the light of the flaming ramparts which looked as though they were a part of some battlefield in hell. He ran through the enemies in the same dark haze that had filled him since beginning this grizzly chapter of a story he almost knew. 

He didn't dare count as he felt another man crumple to the ground. There were too many to dare count, for if he did then he would be only deepening his knowledge of the atrocities that he was being used to commit by some devil puppeteer. The world was a haze to his eyes as the carnage came to a slow end with one final wail of pain which cut short all too quickly. He stood there in his golden armor of the imperial dragon and looked out over the ramparts with a horrified expression that he could not wear upon his real face, but did have all the same. 

There were thousands dead and he stood there atop them as though their corpses were a thrown. He felt helpless as he looked upon all this death, and as he did he wondered why he was able to look through the eyes of another man that he somehow knew. He was watching this man act as though he were a ghost who was somehow tethered to this man like a chain. He looked out the warrior's eyes and was astonished by the sheer magnitude of it all.

"It isn't real, it isn't real..." he repeated through his mind as he watched the scenery pan out around him. They lay there like a sea of black and grey water. They were a carpet upon the earth that stretched to the horizon and was only interrupted by the burning pyres left by the arrows. He studied some of he landmarks and was horrified to find himself within a town that now was too still. He had seen this before somehow... seen the look of war. He was horrified by that, for he did not like to kill. He knew that with every fiber of his being and though he had no more choice in real life then he did now, he still didn't like to do it. The scene blurred to color as he stood there upon the mound of the dead and watched as the warrior he now was took his head in his hands and wept softly.

The act of crying was one shared by both combatant and unwitting participant. The ghost now understood his counterpart all the better. He was not a killer by choice either. Though he did do it, and did it well. The warrior knelt by the dark pool of water and looked down into it. As he did his reflection stared back at him.

It was not the face that was expected, but instead a kind one that shocked the onlooker. At the sides two long tendrils of chestnut hair hung low against his hard bronze cheeks. His skin was soft and clear with the exception of a single scar that rested just to the left of his chin. His eyes were the color of chocolate, and they glowed with a deep kindness that didn't fit with the bloodshed that had transpired. 

The image of that face shocked the spectral Taichi. It was him. The face was older and bore the lightly tanned scar, but it was his own face. He stared blankly at the rippling image of himself in the dark water. He was so close to understanding the image, yet it remained just a finger-length away from his grasp. He watched as the sky turned red like the pool which now bubbled with drab crimson water. He felt ill as the bodies swirled with the sky and the water in a great maelstrom of imagery. He heard a voice that was his own screaming out his own name. It called out again and again with a bellowing roar that shook taichi to his core. As the time passed the voice grew until it was so loud that the earth trembled with it. The image faded from red to black slowly and as the swirling tides of darkening color turned pure black he lurched forward.

  
  


Taichi's heart thundered within his chest as he sat upright in his bed. There was a cold sweat on him as he stared into the darkness of his room. He felt his own breath crystalize to ice as he breathed outward as though a eerie cold was radiating from him. The voice still called out his name, though now it was no more then a faint whisper that repeated within his mind. He whipped the bangs from his eyes and let out a slow breath. 

The dreams were coming faster and faster. Each was different and more perplexing. He felt as though he were so close to understanding these dreams that he saw through the eyes of someone who looked exactly like himself. But they were still so far away that he couldn't understand. The voice frightened him in a way he though he was beyond. It was not a threat being called outward tword him, but instead a plea. A plea for something that taichi didn't know how to answer. He didn't try to understand any better now for he knew he could not.

Instead of wracking his brain he got up and stretched. There would be no more sleep tonight, just the dream again and again, though possibly in a different setting. 

This dream seemed placed in ancient China though other dreams had stretched across the earth. He was older in some of the dreams while in others he was a child. But the same dark constants remained: it was always him, and it was always horrible. Wars and death were common, though sometimes it would be someone dying in a hospital bed. There were several reoccurring candidates for that. Children that somehow he knew were his own, a young girl that he was unsure about who she was, yet assumed to be family, and the most common was a girl with red eyes...

He was troubled by the girl the most. There was some deep connection he shared with her, but to him she was no more then a face and a feeling. But even the stolid assassin had to admit it was one hell of a face and one powerful feeling. He briefly considered that he knew her at some point in his life, though after much deliberation he became sure that he would remember this girl.

Taichi snarled lightly to himself as he got out of bed and looked at himself in the mirror. He was still slightly damp with the cold sweat, though now it had lessened considerably. He looked back into the image in the mirror with scrutiny. It was him... the ghosts were him... but how is that possible? He looked at his shirtless reflection again, his muscles were all taught and strained with stress from the dream, or perhaps vision. 

He looked downward to his wrist where the blackened tattoo of a sun rested. He looked at the mark with so many questions. He didn't remember where it had came from, only that it had always been there and always would be there. And that somehow i had a power all its own. The mark had some meaning to it that the young assassin could not ascertain. But somehow he felt that it was, in some way, tied to his dreams.

He left his bathroom and made his way to the kitchen that was illuminated in the soft ivory glow from the city outside. The colony never slept, and thus the glow never faded.

He debated staying, and perhaps getting back to sleep, but that didn't seem likely now, so he decided that he should go out and get a drink. He could use one right now... and the walk to the inferno would do his muscles some good, and perhaps loosen him up enough to return and sleep for a few more hours. He doubted it, but it was better then staying here where the voice would still call to him.

***************************

  
  
  
  


The youth walked slowly down the steely corridors. His eyes glowed softly with ruby flames as he listened to the sound of his own footsteps reverberating through the long winding hallway. He wore a sleeveless shirt of black fabric that was embroidered with strips of silver that formed intricate and menacing shapes. And large black pants held in place at the leg by large shiny black boots. His clothing hung loosely around him, and even in the windless environment it seemed alive like black fire. His neck and upper chest glowed like pale ivory in the faint phosphorous light of the passage leading from the docking bay. The eyes flickered like a red flamed candle which cast a sinister crimson light over his thin and chiseled face. Perhaps the youth's most striking feature was his hair which shimmered a platinum silver. The silver bangs fell over his brow and into his eyes as he continued down the winding hallway.

Within his hand he gripped a steel cable that clasped around the throat of a man with a military uniform. He gagged and writhed against the steel collar that choked him with ever lagging step. He scurried after the youth so as not to choke on the restraints. His face was bright red as he struggled with the choker. Every time he would fall behind he would receive a jarring jerk of the noose and gag in asphyxiation and pain. His neck was raw from where the collar had been jerked and now a soft red sweat glistened on his body as he followed.

The two passed several marauder officers on their trek to the commander. Some would smirk sinisterly to the blackish bruise that was swelling over the captive's eye and the blood-matted hair, while others would turn away in seeming disdain for the image. The boy with the silver hair said nothing as he continued onward. He was terrifying for nothing more then the icy expression on his placid features. 

The man was clad only in a military uniform which was torn and stained with blood. His hair was in great disarray as some was plastered to his brow while more of it hung upward at a unnatural ark concreted by dried blood and sweat. His face was battered and bruised from his capture and as he looked to the faces of some of the more humane marauders it was clear how bad he looked. At one point in the young officer's life he had been considered handsome, now he felt as though he were a mutation of the man he once was. This boy had stripped him of so much more then his firearm. He had beaten in the face that had once given such narcistic pride, then he stripped him of his pride. The officer did not walk tall with squared shoulders and a broad step, now he walked with shuffling footfalls in a hunched over manner. His exhaustion and beatings had lift him too weak to carry himself with pride. The leash didn't help either. His wrists were bound closely to his neck and they two ached from the friction generated by the abrasive metal fibers.

The youth stopped suddenly and his prisoner stumbled into him. It was a light tap, but the second he touched the youth with the platinum hair he tried to jump back. He was too slow, like a mouse-tap the boy's arm swung outward and hammered into his sternum. The force of the impact floored the officer, and as he crumpled to the floor his bonds cut into his flesh all the more and agitated recently sealed wounds. He struggled to get back to his feet where he could once again breath, but found the act more difficult then imagined. He instead opted to crawl to his knees so he would have enough slack to breath.

The youth looked at him in a complacent manner that had no undercurrent of humanity. It looked at him like a machine with human form. His eyes glowed all the brighter with the dark ruby incandescence that seemed to pulse in the soft overhead lighting. His hair seemed electrified in the light as it shimmered like the most pure silver. It was then as the officer stared up to him that he saw the face transform. As a crocodile can erupted from the cool waters of a pristine pond, so too did the boy's face erupt with a dark delight at the ghastly visage of the officer. He was far stronger then anyone could know, and that strength was supernatural in origin. His muscle mass left nothing to the force he so effortlessly used when manhandling the officer.

That strength was a force to be reckoned with, but it bore no comparison to the look in the boy's burning eyes. The intensity of his scowl was so indomitable that it rippled through the officer as though he were jelly. He croaked in agony as the boy pulled his leash upward like a noose. The frantic officer squirmed as he struggled to raise himself high enough to breath again. As the blood was cut off by the noose-like cable the officer's mind grew hazy. The pain numbed enough for him to groggily observe the boy. He was more handsome then any of the other youths the officer had known. A clean-cut appearance that boded against his venomous nature. His features were well perportuned and shapely, but he was nothing like his image... he was cruel and monstrous.

In the strange haze he heard the noise of a door sliding open on its robotic tracks. It clicked open in a hushed exhale of hydraulics and then there came a voice. The voice was like sandpaper. It hissed and rasped out words like a gas-leaking hose. Yet as the hazy officer glanced up he saw only a human shaped blur of flesh tones and greens that looked vaguely in the shape of a uniform. The snake-voiced man spoke to the youth, and as he spoke the youth eased up on the cable. As blood flowed into his tingling face his vision cleared ever so slightly.

The face that went with the raspy voice was an older one. It was weathered by the beginning of notable age. He was still handsome, though now his brow bore a set of cresses. He was in his early forties, but if you looked into his eyes you would see age beyond years. He seemed strangely out of place in this time. Older then the ages... like the hollowed stone buildings of the dying earth. He too seemed a relic of ages gone by.

As the officer looked at the commander of the marauders he was aware of a similar quality in the youth who took him hostage. The look of a misplaced soul. Though this man was far more out of place then the boy-monster. It was comparing a hill to a mountain.

He was shocked to find the youth speaking to the commander. He spoke in a voice that sounded kind. It was a voice that was commanding, yet when addressed to the ancient man, clearly submissive. The commander did not return this tone... instead he replied with a tone that was clear, despite his ragged voice, a tone of friendship. He was not barking orders to a subordinate. The boy's voice was almost hypnotic as the bleeding officer listened. It was like a soft whispering breeze held against a hurricane.

  
  


"I see you brought a souvenir from your raiding party, Angel." the commander rasped. The officer was shocked by the code-name for the devil-boy. The youth smiled darkly as he gave a sharp jerk to the cable. The officer gaged in pain and suffocation.

" I thought you would find him useful... it would seem this man has been closely affiliated with the X project for quite a while. In fact he was the one to kill the X-3 and the X-4... but that was in the early days... he later worked his way up to project supervisor...." Angel smiled as he pulled the man into the darkened room where the commander had lead. The demon boy pulled on the leash, and in order to not have his head pulled off the officer crawled across the floor until he was lead to a chair which he was instructed to sit in. He didn't rebel, for he knew all too well that if he did he would be pulled up by the cable. He was vaguely aware as angel used the cable to bind him to the metal chair.

  
  


"You were the one to kill the two hybrids?" Ishida asked with a tremor of a growl in his hissing voice.

  
  


"Yeah..." he replied as he found his voice. Ishida's eyes focused with sudden ferocity as he reached to his side and took something into his grip. His eyes were dark with hatred as he stared into the man's bloodied face. Ishida trembled with rage as he stared at the officer. His gloved hand was clenched around the grip of whatever he was holding.

  
  


"Do you have any concept over how rare one of the divine is!?" He snapped in a tone that sounded reptilian.

  
  


The man found strength in his anger as he yelled back at the blond commander. 

  
  


"You call them divine!?!" he gurgled with blood as his yelling agitated some of the cracked ribs. "They are animals! FREAKS!!! how dare you call them divine!?!" he cried out in rage.

  
  


"You sing an old song... one i have listened to for lifetimes." he snarled. Angel turned his back as ishida drew nearer. That terrified the officer far more then anything the man with the scarred neck was saying. The devil with the silver hair was turning his back on a seemingly bigger devil.

  
  


"I have heard that song over and over again so many times that i know the words by heart.

I have sang them before too.... i have worn white hoods and burned crosses.... i have taken the scalps of savages and worn them on my coat. I have sentenced witches to hang. I have fed men to furnaces in camps." he paused and looked deep into the eyes of the man. "I have watched the crucifixion of saviors...." the officer stared into the icy blue eyes with horror.

  
  


"You're mad...." he gaped.

  
  


" Malus peior pessimus aeternus eternus..." he replied with a dark smile. The man stared blankly until angel turned to him with a placid expression on his now softened lips. He looked down into the officer's eyes with no mercy, but no malice either, simply truthfulness. 

  
  


"It was an ancient earth language, Latin. It means 'Evil is eternal.'" he turned away once again as Ishida smiled darkly.

  
  


"You remind me of the men i once knew. That blind hatred that humans are so good at seems to infect every generation... but the divine are special.. They are a very rare species, that are on the verge of extinction..." he turned away as he fingered the object in his hand.

  
  


"There have been no documented cases of them breeding... no specimens captive, except the two you killed.... you have no idea what a divine could mean... what they can be used to obtain.... and as far as we know you wiped out the last of their kind... " he snarled.

  
  


"They are not extent...." he replied with a dark tone. This caught matt off guard.

  
  


"You're saying you have one....?"

  
  


"Unfortunately... the politicians that govern the X project will still not permit the termination of the X-5. They are certain that we can gain from experimentation on her."

  
  


"You have a female... and an X-series female at that!?!" he spoke incredulously. As the officer looked into the sapphire blue eyes he was frightened by a sudden electrical shimmer within them. they glowed like lightning over a black sky.

  
  


"How old is she!? 

Is she healthy!? 

What level classification is she? 

Her cellular structure, is it more human or more closely bound to the digital?" the commander rambled off questions with enthusiasm that troubled the officer. The X-5 was dangerous.. She was born with the genetic memory of her parents locked within her cells. She was stronger then they were also... and unlike them, she challenged her masters. She rebelled against experiments and was commonly attacking her guards. It had gotten to the point that the hybrid was kept in a low level sedation.

She remembered the death of her parents... the hybrids had the ability to recall information that was locked inside their cells. The X-5 could remember the lives of her parents with troubling clarity... it seemed that was another trait of the monster's race.

  
  


"Release me...." he rubbed his throat which throbbed. " remove my bonds and i will tell you..." he sensed that he may have an advantage, but instead ishida motioned for angel to tighten the cable. The officer whimpered with pain as he felt the sharp cord grind through his shirt and jacket to his chest. He looked into ishida's eyes and found them alive with a darkness that obliterated all hope of gaining the upper hand.

  
  


"You are going to kill me no matter if i tell you or not..." he wheezed in a wet voice. Ishida grinned; that alone made him a thousand times more frightening.

  
  


"Yeah, I am..." he rasped out through his smirking lips.

  
  


"Then you can go to hell." he replied complacently.

  
  


"Heh... sorry, no hell for me... and i was telling the truth about killing you... you will die at the end of this interrogation... but before that inevitability, there are different ways to pass the time." he smiled more broadly.

  
  


"I my self am a conversationist. I love to chat about many things, current events, literature, gossip, military secrets involving the X project...."

He reached out with his hand and clicked the release on the grip. With a metalic click it exploded open in a three sectioned hand scythe. 

The blade gleamed in the dim light with a razor edge. It shimmered like ice in the room as the officer stared at it. It was extremely well crafted.. The weapon of an assassin. It would be invisible to scans, and easily hidden. And also devastatingly lethal. It was a rare weapon... one only a select few had.. The officer recognized it as the staple close-quarters weapon for a Manticon officer. Or at least someone trained by them... the fact that ishida had one meant that he was not simply a gifted strategist... he was one of the most dangerous men alive...

  
  


"I would prefer conversation.... but i can find other ways to amuse myself until you have to die..." As the words left his lips his hand flung downward, and in one foul swoop buried the weapon in the officer's hand. The force of the attack had sent the lethal point of the weapon through the bone in the hand, and even through the steel armrest which that hand had been resting upon. The officer shrieked in agony as his hand bled freely. His fingers twitched with severed nerve endings as the hand struggled against the rest as though it were a living butterfly pinned to a collector's display. Ishida looked into the screaming man's eyes, and as they met, pulled the scythe bact tword him. The sound of metal being split by the lethal weapon was blended to the sound of bone being severed and of corse the blood curdling scream.

Ishida smiled darkly as he pulled out the now red scythe. The officer was crying pitifully as ishida pulled up a chair next to him. He sat on it comfortably as he watched the man clutch his split hand which was bleeding profusely. He laughed loudly, and as he did the room echoed with the dark chords like some demonic eco.

  
  


Angel watched the commander from his place at the far end of the room. He was so many things for so many lifetimes. They all were... they have had good lives... and bad ones. But never before had the platinum haired youth seen one so utterly lost in the darkness. And as Angel watched the interrogation through his blood ruby eyes, he was filled with a tremor of fear. He glanced down to his forearm, and pulled his arm-guard back enough to expose his wrist. He studied the marking that stared back at him. It was faded from black to a smoky grey. But there it stood upon his wrist.

The crest without purpose in this new world. The crest of hope.

  
  
  
  


"So... feeling chatty?" Ishida hissed. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


***************************

  
  


The night air was cool, and amazingly smelled clean. There was a stiff breeze from the northern front of the colony. The nights were better here then the days. Though more dangerous, the darkness veiled some of the refuse on this artificial world. Its lights shimmered like stars. The faint glow of red neon basked the pavement in a rosy hue. The colony was so crowded with buildings that their lights meshed together like a nest of diamonds.

Taichi did like this place at night. He stood there at the threshold to the inferno and was bathed in the neon red of its sign. He was glad that he left to go out. The walk did help distance himself from the voice that called to him, and the night was a good one. He looked up to the sky and saw them there, a endless sea of stars which shimmered down on him. Somehow the stars had always given him hope that there was more to existence then this world.. That perhaps there was a better world out there, farther away from the colonies and the earth. Perhaps out there amidst the galactic wind there was a good world.

He lowered his gaze back to the colony and let it fall over several homeless men who huddled around a flaming barrel. Somehow, seeing them sobered him from his thoughts of hope. He turned away and entered the Inferno.

The air was not fresh here, but instead flavored with smoke. Tai walked into the room and allowed himself to be assaulted by the noise of the place. Loud conversations blended with the dark music that was being played from the stage. The singer was not as loud as the previous one, but he was also wrapped up in the darkness. But as a switch, he was singing a love song. Not a happy one, but it was still about one of the few things that was almost pure about his species.

He went to the bar and ordered his drink from a new female bartender with short black hair and a tattooed face. Hers were no hearts, but instead snake-like branches filled with thorns. She gave a dark smile to Taichi as he finished his first drink way too fast. He didn't even shudder at the potency of the drink.

  
  


"Hey.. I'm Rave... I'll be off my shift in half an hour... maybe you would like to..."

  
  


"No thanks Rave, I'm not interested in a relationship." he replied.

  
  


"Who said i wanted a relationship?" he blushed so slightly that it wasn't detectable to normal people. He chuckled softly before kindly refusing her offer. She mearly shrugged and went to another customer.

  
  


Two new faces entered the bar. First was a beautiful woman with dark hair and purple highlights. She had a gorgeous complection with high cheekbones and red lips. She was 

Euro-Asian with an athletic body and a long and sleek neck that terminated over the notable swell of her breasts. She has a faint tan, though she was more on the pale side then many. Her eyes glowed a soft golden amber.

She wore tight black pants and a black tank-top that accentuated her figure. Her belt was black also, though some of the instruments upon it gleamed with color. Most notably, the silver blaster that appeared to be in top condition. She wore a red scarf around her neck and a com-badge on that scarf.

  
  


The second of the two was a man in his early twenties. He was dressed in a dark coat which also bore a silver com. His coat was buttoned around his mid section, leaving only a hint of a red undershirt visible. He was dressed neatly and orderly, and above all else he carried himself like a ex-military officer. His face had color to it, and was shapely despite his hollow cheeks that gave the appearance he was not eating enough. He was average build, though his shoulders were broader then his frame would dictate. His eyes were almost colorless, only deep pools of black that shimmered like pools of burnt oil. His hair was a deeper shade of red and pulled back to the sides of his face. no bangs fell over his eyes as he stared out over the crowd. His hand was at his side, close to the blaster.

  
  


"Whoa... holy shit! Look at the new meat!" one of the drunken patrons uttered to his partner who turned to admire the girl who stood at the doorway beside the boy with the dark coat. The two rose up and walked to meet the girl. They were big men with excess of muscles and various chains over some of their clothing. Thugs.

  
  


"Hey hot-ass." one greeted the girl who scowled lightly.

  
  


"Fuck off moron." she muttered darkly, though her words didn't even register to the inebriated man. His friend chuckled and commented that she was feisty. He then noted the boy at her side and turned to him.

  
  


"How much for a few hours with the girl?" he smiled as he reached to his wallet.

  
  


"I'm not a pimp and she is not on the market. I recommend you go sit down..." he replied in a low voice. That made the man angry.

  
  


"Now listen asshole, you have no right disrespecting me and my partner like that. And this girly is way to hot to be with you. So take a hike before we teach the two of you some respect!" 

  
  


The girl turned to the boy with a look of loathing as the first man was running his hand over her breast. "Izzy?" she asked with a tremor of fury in her voice that was battling hard against restraint.

  
  


He smirked. "Go for it Kari.." she smiled sweetly as she turned back to the man. Then brought the back of her hand across the man's face. He was thrown to the floor by the impact, but soon to get up with a burning rage in his eyes. Kari waited until he was to his knees before she gracefully kicked the side of his head. The impact dropped the man to the floor where he didn't stir.

  
  


His partner was about to punch izzy, but with blinding speed the youth seized him at the throat and lifted him off the ground in a strangling grip. He did this one-handed and seemingly effortlessly. The man thrashed against his grip before izzy silenced him with a commanding voice.

  
  


"Take your buddy and get the hell out of here." he dropped the man to the floor. Yet as the two were about to leave the second man pulled a club. He reared back to strike izzy in the back of the head, but instead felt it shatter over Kari's fist. She stared into the man's wide eyes as she dusted off the splinters of the club. He made no further attack, but instead pulled his partner out of the bar as quickly as possible, all the while looking to kari with profound terror. The two glanced around the room only to find that for the most part no one was paying attention. It would seem that here in the inferno violence was a common thing that no longer was worth looking up from your drink.

  
  


The two stepped in and away from the threshold while scanning the patrons. Many of them were massive men with scars and wounds. Some even had large cybernetic parts which replaced severed limbs. One such man glanced up at them with a faint red lense that was tied into his optic nerve. A large scar trailed over his cheek and brow. He glanced back down to his beer and continued to drink. Kari turned to izzy.

  
  


"You sure we are going to find him here?"

  
  


"We have tracked the signal... it's faint, but it is here."

  
  


"If it's so faint how can it be one of us? His signal would be one of the strongest." kari reasoned as she looked across the darkened expanses of the bar. There were many seeming candidates, but none had the aura that signified that it was him. They each had a presence that was perceptible, like the faintest odor on the wind. There was the faintest glimmer of that aura on the wind. It was a subtle glow that was too easily overlooked. This perplexed kari for the one they were seeking was one of the strongest of them. his aura should be swelling to the point where it could be sensed from orbit.

"Patience kari... all shall be explained when we find him..." izzy replied in a somber voice that he had adopted for dealing with the more impetuous kari. She was not one to sit back and let the enemy come to her, but instead hunt it down and grab it by the throat.

"How the hell do you stay so calm Izz... this could be the end of everything!" she uttered in a loud whisper that was forced to silence. He looked at her softly with that same collect look that he was famous for. But behind that mask there was the faintest glimpse of fear. These were dark days that they were embarking upon.

"Look kari, i know what we are up against, but thinking like this will serve nothing. We have to consolidate as much power as possible to stop him. If we can find taichi we have a better chance." she looked at him through her glowing amber eyes.

"We are going to lose you know... we don't have any of the really powerful digidestined on our side." she replied softly.

"Don't count us out so fast kari. Even though your crest is at half strength it is still powerful. And once we find taichi we will have one of the most powerful of the eight. And who knows... Takeru and Sora are still out there... if we can add them to our side then we have a good chance." he closed his eyes and sighed. "Lets just find tai."

It was then that they felt it. Like a soft warmth that pulsed outward. Kari's eyes snapped open as she looked to the source of the power. It radiated out from one source, and kari found her eyes pulled to that source who sat alone at a far corner of the bar. The boy that was the source of this power was dressed in black and had a complection far darker then any she had seen. The shadows were drawn over him like war paint and in the faint red glow of the sign he seemed like some demon of black and red. He was drinking his beverage completely unaware of the two sets of eyes which followed ever movement as though it were fascinating.

"Lets do it..." He muttered as he drew in a slow breath and walked tword the shadowy youth who holds the key to survival.

  
  
  
  
  
  


***************************

  
  


Tai felt a hand on his shoulder. His muscle tensed at the contact, as he expected this to mean no good. His eyes lowered to his drink as he felt the hand withdraw. The figures came from either side and sat next to him at the bar. He glanced up to meet the boy's eyes with a slight scowl. He said nothing for the first moment as the two seemed to study him as one might study a painting. The two were weary as they looked at him and that made taichi nervous. They were expecting something of him, or gauging something.

"What do the two of you want?" he replied curtly.

"But you a drink?" izzy offered. Tai raised an eye to him and chuckled.

"Sorry man, this isn't that kinda bar.... your cute and all, but not my type." he laughed softly as he noted the bewilderment on the faces of the two. He sobered lightly as the boy begin to speak.

"Taichi... we have been looking for you for a long time." tai's eyes darkened at the mention of his name.

  
  


"How do you know who i am?"

"Koshiro..." he offered

"I didn't ask for your name, i asked how you know mine." 

"Knowledge is my area... i know a lot more then your name. You are an assassin for hire." tai turned to face him with no levity in his features.

"If you are looking for me to do a job, you are not going about it the right way. You contact me over the web, not in person."

"I am not here for that."

"Then what?"

"I am here to get your help..."

"Who the hell are you, and why would I help you?"

"Because it is your destiny to do so... you are different from other people, like us." he paused abruptly as taichi got up and dropped the money for his drink. Izzy spoke quickly as he was about to lose his chance.

"You have nightmares!" tai stopped. "Horrible nightmares where you are someone else. You wake up feeling like you are losing your mind because you here someone calling to you. Begging you to become something. Something you aren't sure about." tai turned to stare into the boy's dark eyes.

"You were born with a black tattoo on your wrist..." he was cut off as taichi pulled the scythe, which flew open in a heartbeat and came to a rest only an inch away from his throat. He had a look of rage in his eyes. Kari stood up with her hand on her weapon, yet was frozen as she came to stare down the barrel of taichi's gun. It hummed softly as she blinked in shock.

"Go ahead and try moving..." tai growled as he held both of their lives in his hand. Izzy was the one to speak. He spoke softly with no fear in his voice.

"Knowledge is power tai. You have very little of that now, and to face what's coming, you will need a lot more. You think we are the only ones who will be coming to find you? We are just the first, and of all those who will have a purpose for you, ours is the only one where you will have a choice..." tai was still for a moment before the scythe clicked back into place and he returned his blaster to its holster. He sat back down slowly without taking his eyes off of the boy with the black eyes.

"That scythe was really something... Manticon right?"

  
  


"You know a lot koshiro... in fact everything you say makes me more certain that i should kill you. How do you know me? How do you know about the dreams and the.... mark.?" izzy smiled softly as he pulled back his sleeve and raised his wrist so tai could see the black tattoo of the crest.

"Knowledge is my area...." he chuckled.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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Once upon a time, long, long ago humans lived entirely on the earth. The earth was a horrible place to live then. The skies were dark with the smoke of thousands of thousands of fires. Demons marched on the earth and fed off of the humans. Dragons burned whole villages. Some of the humans who made alliances with the demons rose to power and enslaved the masses. People fled to churches and temples, yet they were no help against the evil that filtered into our world through a massive hole in the fabric of our world. The gate of hell had opened and from it came the armies of hell. This page in earth's history came to be known as the dark ages.

Some humans fought back against the demon armies. Though many could not win, there were eight human warriors from across the globe that had power to battle the evil. These humans fought for years and were eventually able to force back the scourge. After years of warfare, the eight were able to force them back to the doorway to their demon dimension. They stood there before the gateway and were terrified. Then one of them decided that he could not allow the evil to recover and come again to his world. He walked through the doorway into the demon world. Then, one after the other, they each followed.

  
  


That world was known as the digital world.

  
  


For five years the eight battled in hell until they had broken the back of the demon armies. But then as that world was finally purged of the superficial evil the eight were confronted by the first good creature that they now knew to be digimon. That digimon explained that there were evil digimon, and without a force to control them, the evil ones could corrupt the good ones. This was the nature of humans as well.

It was then that it became clear that the digital world would always be a threat to the human world. And then the one good digimon offered a deal. A powerful spell that could transcend life and death to ensure that there would always be protectors for the twin worlds.

The eight warriors accepted the bargain and became known as the digidestined. From their hearts their most dominant trait would be used to power the spell. Courage, love, hope, light, friendship, sincerity, reliability, and knowledge. The power would be signified in a marking found upon their wrist.

They would be made to pay a great price for this power. Each of the eight would become immortal. Not in body, but in spirit. They would be born and live their life until death without any knowledge of their pasts. But, should an evil descend upon the world, the eight would be awaked with the knowledge amassed in their many lives. They would be awakened to the nature of who they were and would be once more... digidestined.

  
  
  
  


***************************

  
  


"So let me get this straight... you came here to tell me a fairytale." taichi scoffed as he swallowed another gulp of his beer.

"It isn't a fairytale taichi, don't you find it strange that you were named after the leader of the digidestined? How you look like him?"

"So what, names and looks mean nothing. Too easily coincidence." he rejected.

"And the dreams? The tattoo of the crest of courage? Are they coincidence too?"

What do you want from me? I'm not sure if you've missed this, but i am not a nice guy" he took a sip and looked deeply into izzy.

"You think i am the reincarnation of taichi Kamiya? The hero who saved earth back in the ancient digital wars of 01? Tai kamiya was a hero. They write about him and the other digidestined in history books. He was a saint and a hero... i am nothing like him!" he barked.

Izzy sighed and took a sip of his own drink while kari suddenly spoke.

"I guess you never read too deeply in those history books." She chuckled. "Taichi kamiya was no saint. The man was pretty far from it in a lot of ways. But he was a hero. And as hard as you try to forget the dreams or as much effort you put into hiding the mark it still is true... you are him..." she replied darkly as she took a sip of the red liquid that filled her glass.

"You don't remember because you haven't triggered yet." 

"Triggered?" he questioned.

"It's what we call it... the name we have given it when we awaken. Technically it is when we are in a state of intense shock. You see the trauma is the key to triggering the memory." izzy spoke.

"And i suppose the two of you have... triggered?" he smirked at the terminology. They nodded.

"I have known you a long time taichi. Been your friend, your partner. I've been the best man at your wedding before.... and kari... she's even been your little sister in the past. You see we digidestined are drawn to one another even before we awaken. It's similar to how we all look the same and tend to have the same name, even why we carry certain personality traits regardless of the life we are born to. I can't really understand it.... yet."

"What is it that you two want from me?" he asked as he took the last swallow of his drink.

"We need you to help us fight a very powerful enemy. One who has a chance at conquering not just this world, but all the future worlds." Izzy's eyes were drifting off to a far off place that existed in the shadow cast by the shelves on the far wall behind the bar. The shadow seemed far more menacing then he dared imagine. It was as though the sheer thought of this foe were enough to lend a dark spark of life to the shadows that loomed around them in the perpetually dark bar.

Tai wasn't really interested in what the boy was saying, but something in the way he looked off as he spoke caught his attention. The darkness was all around them now and played with the red glow cast down from the neon. The meshing of red and black painted the youth with a strangely disturbing aura of darkness and savagery. He paused and the moment lingered an eternity as he worded the description of this enemy.

"There is a power that guides us all. Destiny i suppose. This destiny pulls us to our calling in life. I have been drawn to science in all of my lifetimes. That i suppose is my destiny. But for this foe destiny is a dark thing. You see he is one of the eight, one of the stronger of the eight. In the beginning he was a good man, but over time he was pulled farther away from that goodness. Much as a child is pulled from innocence as he ages, so too are we pulled in our paths. But for us it is different, with each lifetime we continue to be dragged further along. And for him, that meant being pulled deeper into darkness." he paused as his eyes slipped shut slowly.

"We have been aware of this descent for a long time now, lifetimes in fact. but in the more recent lifetimes he has became open about his ambitions. He wants power and lots of it. He has always been one of the strongest of us, and the idea that he is using that strength to dominate is a troubling concept. In the past lifetimes we have been able to stop him, to kill him. But since he is one of the digidestined he cannot ever be purged. Each time he comes back stronger, and soon i fear we will be unable to halt his progress.

Taichi, what we need from you is your help in stopping him now, in this lifetime. The war we wage is an eternal one, but this world now needs us. I know you can't remember, but above all else you must know deep within that this is a part of you. That inside, you are more then you have become." izzy's eyes were now fixed to taichi in a way he had never before done. They were of that voice born in the dream that haunted the young assassin. They probed deep into the dusky chocolate of his almond shaped eyes and called out with implorment that exceeded the reach of words alone. 

  
  
  
  


Tai stared into those black pools of nightly water and was suddenly drawn back to a dream that he wasn't sure if he had yet experienced. The face was younger and the hair different, but it was the same look of need and desperation. He was suddenly caught within a great swell of memory that hit him like the breath of god. He felt himself lurch backwards as his mind was filled with that look, but coming from faces he had never seen in this life. Thousands of faces. He was having trouble breathing as he stared off into the faces of thousands of people. They stared back at him with that look being mirrored in each of their faces. Some were the faces of children with dirt streaked across their round and cherub cheeks. Some were the dignified please of the elderly who looked back with a profound sorrow. The faces swirled together as the air erupted into great geysers of red fire which swallowed up the lost souls and regurgitated them in clouds of ash that stung taichi's eyes. He felt tears pour down his cheeks as a pang of nausea wrenched through his stomach. In that heartbeat he had felt the pain of so many countless lost souls cry out in agony. The force threw him backwards and in that instant he was returned with no passage of time greater then a moment.

  
  
  
  


Izzy and kari looked to him with some concern as his breath was coming in deep rasping gasps. He had broken into a cold sweat as he whipped the perspiration from his brow compulsively, as though he were whipping away the lasting feeling of illness from the pit of his stomach. He looked up at them with a sudden ferocity as he felt his hand struggle to go to the scythe at his side.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO ME?!?" he snarled

"Nothing. The dreams are coming faster... even when you're awake." he replied before turning to Kari "He's on the verge kari, I think part of him is trying to trigger. Amazing... he hasn't triggered normally, but somehow his body is trying to awaken."

"Is that possible izzy?"

"I've never heard of this happening before in any of the documented case of a digidestined. Taichi was one of the strongest... perhaps his nature if fighting to assert itself."

"Tai, i promise that i can give you some answers if you'll help us stop him. You are the only one who can still help. We need you..."

Taichi looked at the boy with a sudden flare of defiance in his gaze. He rose to his feet and glowered down to the youths."I have been a soldier before! It's something i am not looking to repeat. Why in hell would i risk my neck by working for you!?! just so you could stop some creep with a power complex! I am nobody's foot-soldier and i will be dammed if i let you try to make me into one."he ended in a low growl. Izzy blinked back in surprise by the outburst.

"But tai... we are asking you to lead, not to be a soldier. We need someone like you to help us defeat general Yamato." izzy was silenced by the look that flushed over Taichi's features. His eyes were wider then before, and filled with a sudden nauseating shock and stomach turning paleness that drained the color from his cheeks. He looked as though he had just looked upon the face of Satan himself, and he was terrified by that image. The word rung through his head like the dark melody of a funeral bell ringing from the church top of a burning steeple. Izzy and kari looked at him blankly as his features twisted before turning to face them again, but this time with a profound fear. That look cast a wave of concern through izzy, who had always remembered taichi as the braves of them all. The moment lingered for a time, and when it was broken by tai he spoke softly yet with a great wave of certainty.

"No...i will not get into a battle with Ishida... and if you wish to survive, then the two of you will stay as far away from him as you can. Ishida is a monster... and he will kill you. Just like he will kill anyone who is stupid enough to oppose him." he turned and began walking away. He paused only for an instant and spoke. "Don't come after me again koshiro... i may not want to kill you, but i will do it if you make things difficult for me." and with that taichi disappeared from the inferno and into the nightly air from which he came. Izzy and kari stared at the door blankly for a time before turning to one another. With no more then a look the two paid for their drinks and left. 

  
  
  
  


***************************

  
  
  
  


The air was colder now, though it was surely the after affects of the conversation that plagued the two digidestined. Izzy was walking slower as his eyes remained locked on the ground. Kari knew he was thinking of the next move, but soon her patience was worn out. she nudged him on the shoulder to signal that he should share what he was thinking about. He glanced up at her amber eyes with a surprising gleam to his own.

"You look like you have a plan Izz...." she offered and his lips pulled up into a soft smile that was in no way good-natured, but more the look of a man who had outwitted anouther.

"Things could have went better in there... he is not going to willingly help us since it seems he has some history with ishida in this lifetime. But like it or not he will be working with us."

"And how do you plan on getting him to do that?"

"Simple... knowledge is power and as i said, he has very little of that. We use his ignorance to the full spectrum of ishida's plan to our benefit."

"And how do we do that?"

"Ishida has been after the greydramon mech.... we cannot allow him to add that weapon to his arsenal so we will be the ones to intercept it from the military. With a mech like that we may be able to turn the tides of this war... so i suppose the only way of doing this right is to do exactly what tai said when he thought we needed him as an assassin. We contact him over the web under an alias and get him to capture the greydramon.

Odds are ishida will be coming after it too, so we put tai into a situation where he will have to fight some of ishida's men and get the mech for us. That gives us a common foe... then he may feel it necessary to join us." kari looked at izzy with a slight shimmer of repentance in her eyes. What you are planning to do to him... it isn't a very honorable tactic." she said softly.

"Honor is a dead concept in this world." he replied simply.

"This isn't like you izzy, you know this isn't right to do this to him, to force him into helping us." she spoke softly.

"Right and wrong... they aren't clear to me anymore... how right is it to let matt unleash a on this world just so he can rule it? How right is it to allow one of our own to become so evil that he has become the thing we fought to destroy? Is it wrong to use severe methods to stop that from happening? This world isn't a good place anymore kari... right and wrong don't really exist anymore. But it doesn't matter. We swore to defend this world from evil.. Even if the species is evil we still owe it. If i do this to tai... will you still help me kari?" he asked softly as his dark eyes found hers.

"You have been my friend for a long time izzy. I will stand by you in this."

  
  


"I don't think i deserve such loyalty, because i can't offer it to taichi." he felt kari's hand squeeze his shoulder softly in seeming reassurance, but even as she did he felt the stiflingness of her touch. He was a good man once, but in the time of this dark world he had become something else. Something without compassion. It was as though he were a machine... but unique in that he could, despite his best efforts, tell the difference between right and wrong. And as he evaluated himself as a leader he was filled with self-loathing.

  
  


"Maybe there shouldn't room in this world for loyalty either." he whispered under his breath.

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Marching forward they go by.**

**Marching forward they dare not cry.**

*******

**Marching forward their souls are lost.**

**Marching forward despite the cost.**

*******

**Marching forward they dare not dwell.**

**Marching onward straight to hell.**

  
  
  
  
  
  


**_Not the end...._**__

   [1]: mailto:logan91235@aol.com



	3. the meeting

Disclaimer: I don't own em, don't sue. Well I don't really know what happened here. It's like all inspiration left me and I couldn't write more then a few paragraphs a day. It's a pretty long one and not a great one. But i do introduce Sora to tai in it, and tai to a mech which will be part of the central story. Also i do a bit more with TK and Braedon. They seem bad now but they are not villains in this. Hopefully this won't be too much of a bore/ waste of time.

Let me know what you think at [logan91235@aol.com][1]

  
  
  
  
  
  


******Dark Horizon**

by Logan

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


__**_"The meeting"_**

  
  
  


Angel had managed to sleep for four hours since the incident in the interrogation room. He had watched the man die by some macabre fascination with watching the commander operate. He was something that angel couldn't really put to words. There was such joy in him as he eviscerated the man to such an extent that there was nothing left to identify. He had butchered the man with such meticulous effort that death came slowly, and when at last it did claim the poor bastard all that was left of his mind was the sliver that could weep. 

Each tear excited Ishida in a way that augmented his carnal lust for death and agony. He took genuine pleasure in the act of torturing the young officer. That scythe of his was a lethal toy that served the most demonic child ever to exist. And that is what yamato truly was at heart, a being who saw death and agony as a child sees a game. He seemed to relish each drop of spilled blood with a passion that no normal man could ever obtain. As angel thought over the imagery of that dark evening he was convinced that evil was thriving within the leader of the rebel forces. Matt was eternal and thus the nature of evil was given enough time to grow from seed to tree.

"Is this what we are? Beings who will evolve into demons? Am i so like him, that soon i too shall be a devil?" he questioned into the blackness of his room. 

The room was a larger cabin with one window which faced outward to the blackness of space that hung there as though it were floating in clear water. The starlight filtered in through the open window to the room, bathing it in the softest plume of pale ivory. The decorum was a sterile one, composed of a single bed, desk with chair of cool grey metal, a small shelf which was filled with neatly arranged faded photographs of him and a youth of similar age with long black hair and a mischievous grin on his pale face. The fall wall was dominated by various armaments which ranged from combat daggers to a pair of silver blasters that gleamed in the ivory light. They hung there, still, within the worn brown leather of their holsters. Angel felt his eyes trace the delicate curve of their grips in a caressing manner that seemingly longed to pull them from their holsters and blast a hole through the commander. To end him like he had ended so many before him.

He did not follow this inclination, though he did on some levels long for it. Long for the image of the commander as he would slump to the floor in a pool of red, and thus end his ambitions. Odds are that he would be killed long before he would ever be able to pull the weapon. But that too had a certain pleasantness to it... to be the one who falls to the earth and lives no longer. Even though he knew that it would be no more then a blink of an eye in the passage of time. He would wake up to the world as an infant and bide his time till the memory would inevitably come flooding back to him and return him to a life of warfare and death.

The commander was a more capable survivor by far. He did not take on battles that would kill him. No heroic last stands or valiant suicide missions for the greater good. He would ally himself with those who could prolong his life and kill those who would cut it shorter. He was older then the others for the simple reason that he wasn't the kind to sacrifice himself. he lived longer and thus was slower to be reborn f because he was slower to die.

TK remembered him from past lives and even back when matt was still a hero he was always the survivor. That was a long time ago though... back in the days when the earth was still pure and clean, and TK still went by his given name. Those years seemed so far away now, like looking back across time itself to the very first moment when the universe exploded with life.

He had been the devil's brother once. It seemed strange that he had once loved matt as a brother and trusted him with the unwavering faith of a child. That faith was gone now, gone like the ancient cities or the ideals of the men who once had faith in the earth and the people who hailed from it. Faith is hope and hope is dead. That was a cruel lesson taught all to well through the constant acts of evil that had killed the earth and was now poisoning the species. TK assumed that there would come a day when all that would remain are the 8. A time when the species would be eradicated and turn to dust and bone like the relic cities of earth. TK longed for that day when god would awaken and destroy the defenders as punishment for their failure to save humanity, or maybe destroy them as a reward for trying. An end... tK longed for that. An end to this world of blood and death and maybe he would get to see if there really was a heaven, though he doubted they would let him in if he were judged by the recent corse of his life.

He shook his head to be clear of these thoughts of heaven and peace. That was a pipedream that was no more then a self-told bedtime story. He had his own mission that needed to be completed. He would follow Ishida as a means to make real his true goal. To be reunited once more... to make whole the three.

The silence was shattered by a soft knocking at the door. As angel turned to the door he ran his hand over the touch panel which gave a soft beep in confirmation, then opened swiftly to the outer corridor. Just as tK was about to turn the corner and investigate he was shocked to find himself pulled into a deep embrace. He suddenly laughed happily as he squeezed back against the youth with the long flowing black hair.

"Your back early!"he laughed in a voice so different from the tine he had used with the officer that he would not be compared as the same man. His face changed too, where once there was a stolid and menacing visage, a smile transformed him to a kind faced and happy youth.

"Takeru! I see you made it back once again." the boy with the violet eyes chuckled as he relinquished tK to his own too feet. He too was smiling and the same effect was done upon his face. where once there was an icy cold, now there was a benevolent warmth that seemed to radiate from his glowing eyes.

"Yeah, the entire military couldn't stop me if they wanted to. But apparently they took pity on your sorry ass" he smirked as the boy with the call-sign of demon scowled in mock anger.

  
  


"Heh, you're a real piece of work Takeru... here i am, returning from a serious disappointment of a mission, and within less then twenty seconds of getting in my little bro is already tearing into me. Typical." he pulled his arms across his chest and scowled at TK.

"The older part is in debate, but as for the brother part? Heh... you are not by brother."

"Well geez man... how long have i known you? At least fifty years now? A few lifetimes for sure. What would you call me?" he shed his long black jacket and tossed it unceremoniously on tK's desk. His forearm, now exposed, bore a strange black marking that resembled a sun and star intertwined by strange symbols and patterns. The mark was a faded black but against his pale flesh it stood out all the more.

"I suppose brother is a fitting term, but you sure as hell better not get any ideas of beating the crap out of me like a brother.."

"Sorry I can't promise anything...." he chuckled

"You know... if you get technical i am the older brother..... a few thousand years senior." he slapped the youth on the back with a friendly smile that was returned by the boy with the amethyst eyes.

"I hear you brought Ishida a souvenir." demon muttered.

"Yeah... poor guy. He was a real monster of a human being, but the poor son of a bitch didn't deserve what he got." demon's eyes lowered softly in a thick silence that lingered for a moment.

"What have we allowed ourselves to become? Serving this monster... Takeru, this is a disgrace to what we are. How can you stomach licking that man's boots? There was a time when we would have fought against such a man.... but now we serve him." demon's amethyst eyes radiated with emotion as they met the burning rubies of TK's eyes. 

"It sickens me.." he trailed off as tK walked over to the tray that rested on a silver platter littered with bottles. They gleamed in the starlight with the green and amber hues of the glass. TK took two crystal glasses and filled them with amber colored liquor. He spoke as he continued to make the drinks with a single-mindedness that separated his words from his body.

  
  


"Don't lecture me Braedon. I remember the days before... back when we were whole and the whole solar system feared us. I remember all to well what we were. And it sickens me to serve ishida, but that can't be helped. We are two where we should be three, we are weak now, but soon we shall be reunited with the third. Once that happens we will be the ones who control our own destinies." he handed Braedon a glass and took a slow sip from his own before he continued to speak.

Valor and honor... they are all but dead in this world now. Where once victory was determined to belong to the better pilot, or the more skilled warrior; now it is the more clever one who wins. It's a sad day we live in, but that can't be helped." he took the last of his drink and fingered the ice cube in deep thought.

"Ishida is growing in power with each day that passes. Soon he will be strong enough to challenge the military government directly in a war of attrition. He may even win.... but either way he will become very public soon. And by staying at his side, and in his favor, we will be more likely to find our third. Until we are whole we are handicapped and would do well to keep a powerful ally instead of a powerful enemy. He set down his glass.

  
  


Demon smiled softly "And once we are whole... then ishida will be made to pay for what he has done." tK looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Why do you care so much?"

"Because i have seen just a fraction of the evil that you have TK, and even that little sliver that i have seen is more then there ever should have been." he replied with a strange tone to his spectral voice. 

"I think our code-names were mixed up... " tK quipped.

"I know you Takeru... you want to make him pay just like I do.."

"As a pilot you are exceptional, as a fighter you are skilled, but this faith that everyone is, at heart good... that is a weakness... Braedon, in the end... if we do destroy ishida it won't be for justice. If it is decided that we are to kill him it will be because that serves us and our ambitions. We are the knights.... our station in life is battle and war... it was never justice." tK spoke with an agelessness that dripped through the centuries. Within that voice there echoed a faint whisper of eternity. As though in the slight pitch you could hear the rumbling of the earth against the crashing of massive waves. That was what set the digidestined apart from all others... the ancient strength that flowed through them. tK was digidestined, and thus he too possessed this immense power, but it never burned as hot as when as he spoke of the three. There was both pride and sorrow as he spoke of them. But it was clear where his loyalties lay... in the three knights of fire.

  
  


"Are you in the mood for a mission? As i was coming in, ishida offered a job to take another transport that supposedly is housing some new weapons. It's close, so we could capture it tonight if the data is correct. Earn us a bit more trust with the commander i suppose." Braedon said after a long deliberation. Normally he was not one for such hasty missions that stretched one after the last. But he did sense an impending need within tK. As though he should vent some of the darkness which swelled within him in combat. 

TK studied him through his burning red eyes and chuckled softly as he went to retrieve his coat. It would be good to feed the flames a little. To quell the burning that ached in his heart with a dark hunger for destruction.

  
  
  
  


*********************************

  
  


Tai sat at the helm in thick silence as the small craft passed the docking zone for the colony. After the shadowy vessel had passed the colony boundaries it began to steadily increase speed until it was racing through the darkness of space. It was a humble ship that was made for stealth and speed. It was triangular with a more flat construction then other private vessels which boasted more for armor and armaments. The name 'Raven' was airbrushed over the hull in purple lettering.

The raven was a fast little ship as it scooted through the fields of surrounding debris. Its power-core was considerably larger then other ships its size, as was the thrusters which spit out white flame as the pilot continued to fly faster then he should in such a obstacle ridden course. Tai held the controls with a precision that few could match as he narrowly avoided spinning pieces of scrap from destroyed ship hulls. The raven cornered effortlessly as it gracefully ducked under the twisted remains of a digimon mech that had fallen in some battle long past. The frame was twisted and mutilated so far that the cockpit itself was hanging open like gaping jaws. Tai payed little heed to it as he ducked under the spent machine and rocketed off in a semi barrel-roll.

His eyes closed slowly as he activated the automatic pilot to take him through the straight run to the cargo ship which he was to hijack. The job had been outlined for him in unusual details. The client was very specific with his knowledge and even went so far as to include blueprints of the cargo freighter that Taichi was to take by force. He would have one kill, the pilot. The transport hailed no defensive measures or guards. It surprised Taichi and struck him as odd that there would be no defense. But the client claimed that was due to insure secrecy. The freighter would appear to be just a scrap freighter on the exterior, but on the inside there was a very valuable military mech that the client was to receive for a very generous fee.

"One kill..." taichi muttered to himself softly as he stared out at the sea of stars which lay out before him as a great tapestry of silver stars. Tai clicked off the lighting so that the ship would draw no attention, and that he would be able to rest until he were in range. The engine hummed a soft lullaby as he glided through the dark tides. The star-light bathed him in silver as he watched them for a time. Twinkling softly so far away with an innocence that spanned the vast distance. There was a certain quality of cleanness that existed in the stars. They seemed so pure to tai that he could fall asleep watching them. And as he did drift away, no nightmares haunted him, only a deep sleep filled with an endless sea of stars.

  
  
  
  


*********************************

  
  


They stood there like giants in the mech loading bay as takeru and Braedon guided them to their positions for launch. The room was massive and strangely menacing as cables snaked down from the high ceiling like the silken threads of a massive spider web. And the ships that hung there seemed no more then flies. Dozens of multi plumed cruisers and personal fighter ships remained held aloft through cables and automated mechanical arms. They were connected by cable umbilical chords which fed them fuel and updated their computer navigation systems. 

The room extended upward like a massive cathedral of twisted cable and steel. The room was a massive circular hive with compartments which housed digimon mechs. It was so huge that it seemed to go on forever.

Takeru lead braedon to the central pod where they would jettison. Takeru was in the angemon mech. A massive and dangerous digimon that was in it's basic form human. The silvery visor it wore glowed like lightning in the darkness of the cargo bay. Six wings of silvery feathers wrapped around the frame of the mech like a cloak. The body was armored in various plates of living steel that moved in seeming breath. Upon it's chest there stood a pulsating red jewel-like sphere. The orb swirled with pulsing energy in a slow but steady heartbeat. It was adorned with various symbols and runes that gave it a mystic form. It walked with seeming ease as it almost glided to it's place in the center of the room. It's eyes glowed from under the visor in a radiant green that flickered with a serpentine tongue of green fire.

With a sudden whoosh of hydraulics the angemon was consumed in tube composed of thousands of steel strips that acted with the single-mindedness of the thousands of legs on a millipede. The tube churned and pulsed like the coils of a serpent as it swallows a mouse. Soon the coils opened and then vanished back into the floor leaving behind an empty space where once the angemon had stood.

Devimon-mech was soon to follow as it made its way across the floor, its talons clicking against the metal flooring all the way. The long whip tail glided in constant motion as the wings in seemingly nervousness opened and closed with each step it took. It moved like a demon as it crouched in the same place where angemon had once stood. The bladed wings wrapped around the form like a shawl as the coiling tube closed over it and swallowed it down into the core of the launch bay which existed under the hold.

Like the barrel of a massive gun the launch bay was considerably more tight around the two mechs. It was composed of those same metalic strips which formed a living tube that could accommodate the larger size of some mechs. Within this tube the two mechs were incased in steely coffins that resembled bullets in some respects. They were being fit to the mechs' distinct characteristics.

  
  


"Almost ready demon?" tK's voice filtered down through the mech to mech com.

"Just finishing the hyper shielding process. How many surrogates are we taking?"

He accessed the video unit to his com and with a brief flicker of light the screen diverged into four images of bakamon mechs which were being fitted with the same coffin-like apparatus.

  
  


Surrogates were a common thing in all military forces of this new world. They were machines made from humans, used to act as automated fighters. They were far from human pilots in the fact that they were nothing more then drones that could be applied to a digimon mech. Their humanity was erased long ago, then all the required information was uploaded into their minds. They were useful in combat, but against a human mech pilot they were vastly inferior since they lacked a mind of their own with which to pilot a digimon. 

Demon watched them as they stood motionlessly in a seeming daze that never lessened. They were a breed of digimon that demon was unsure of. Humanoid at the core, though covered in green armor which gleamed with a deadly sheen in the faint glow of the overhead lighting. They looked off in to the distance with a strangely chilling expression on their blackened features. The coffin was sealed over his own mech, and it felt suffocating. He willed his mind away from the claustrophobic tightness of the tomb of metal and plastic that now enclosed the devimon mech. The air was being filtered and fed fresh to him through the digimon, but the air still tasted faintly different from the real thing.

Braedon was locked away within the living core of the devimon. He was connected directly to the digimon through the second form of bonding. The second form was much more reliable then simply relying on a joystick and a artificially attached console. This was the way digimon mechs were meant to bond. To be connected together through a technological link of minds. Braedon had known this bond for so long that it was natural to him. He felt more complete with his mind coupled to the body of his mech then apart from it. He could see in a way that he could not see without devimon. Human senses were so ill equipped when compared to the sensors of a digimon.

There was a strange poetry to being bonded to a living machine. To share minds with the beast and feel what it feels. There was such a spectacular sense of freedom to it. To be able to fly on your own power through the black tides of space. To fight as a digimon. To be a part of something that exists in a way the human mind cannot reach alone. To exist, for at least part of the time, as a digimon.

There was once a time when digimon were animals who befriended their partner instead of uniting with them. That held no appeal to braedon. How could one be content with that life? To not touch the mind of their digimon? That would be hell to the young pilot. He knew TK was old enough to recall the time when that was what being partnered was like, but takeru never spoke of that time. He kept it bottled away within the vastness of his infinite memory. Somehow demon knew not to ask about that time. As though it were a old wound in his side that could still ache.

His thoughts were broken as he felt the core consciousness of devimon informing him that they were preparing to disembark.. He felt the devimon mech being moved into position in the launching chamber and as he did his jaw clenched. The moment hung still for a time that seemed far longer then hours. But it suddenly came to a explosive end as the capsule was fired. It screamed through the chamber like a bullet from a gun. The coffin was white hot as it exploded from the core of the asteroid complex.

Alongside angemon hurtled outward, also sealed within the black pod, and soon after waves of surrogates were flung through space on the same trajectory as the leaders. The coffins were at heart specialized booster rockets which could be fired like a bullet at incredible speeds. Inside demon activated his internal sensors and stretched them out beyond the claustrophobic tomb of plastic and metal. It helped ease the strangling tightness which vised over his chest. He could feel space around himself as though it were a living thing that held a faint charge of life. He could feel the faint charge through devimon's sensors. In a way it eased his mind. seeing space as a living thing. But as he watched the other pods scream through the dark tides of space alongside his own there was still a tightness in his chest.

  
  
  
  


*********************************

  
  
  
  


The raven flew in the dark ocean with such ease and gracefulness that it lived up to it's namesake. It was no less agile then a black bird as it glides across a cloudless night. The black steel frame of the vessel was dusted in silver starlight as it drew closer. The cargo freighter loomed in the distance, just beyond the fingertips of scanners and sensor arrays. 

It was no doubt chugging along in a inconspicuously slow pace. The illusion was a simple one, another freighter hauling materials that wouldn't be worth the effort of stealing. It would appear to all others to be no more then another transport, like so many others. It would be old and worn, showing the decades on its hull as wrinkles are worn by the aged. And to all it passed it would be nothing. But the illusion was defeated to the eyes of the young assassin. He could see that this freighter housed a power that could be turned against one force by the other. it was a powerful weapon, but to taichi it was part of a job.

He could care less who contracted him to steal the mech. It could be any of a great number of forces. Pirate or individual, or even a well off outlaw who could pay for a professional. The mech was a paycheck and that was all that really mattered. And thus as the raven slipped away into stealth mode it did so not as a crow but as a hawk.

  
  


Taichi stared at the cobalt hull of the "harmony". It was old and looked ready to go to salvage. There were dents littered over the segmented body of the centipede-like hull from bits of rock and debris which had collided with the aging transport. It wasn't the largest of transports by far, for they could be found large enough to hold armada cruisers, but it was larger then the average transport freighter. The cockpit was a faded red, as though it were salvaged from another transport and attached to this new one. It definitely looked as though it were housing something without value.

The locking clamps were secured to the hull with a muffled clank. Tai was careful as he lowered a tube-like apparatus that formed a vacuum seal between the two ships. This took time as caution was of the utmost importance. Retrieving a plasma torch he began work on the hull. The flame burned blue as it sizzled through the dented hull. As it slowly cut, tiny pieces of metal leapt away from the smoldering steel like tiny crickets composed entirely of flame. The embers leapt at tai's hands and sizzled on his skin until they died. His teeth were grit as he tried to avoid breathing in the exhaust fumes released like phantasms of dust and stale air from a rank crypt. They burned his eyes as he continued his work on sheer will. He could not justify a delay on the grounds of discomfort. The purposeful imbalance of pressure between the ships assured that all smoke would be drawn into the raven and away from the potential smoke detectors which may exist within the hell of the freighter.

He drew back to a crouched position once he felt he had done enough damage to the hull to make the final work possible. He blinked as a means to clear his eyes before withdrawing the three section-scythe from his belt. It swished into position with a faint clank to lock it together. taichi slashed downward over the scorched and red gashes in the hull. The weapon was able to slice through the weakened steel with considerable ease. After three slashes with the weapon taichi stepped onto the rectangular cutout. It wined beneath him for a moment before his weight brought it down. The slab didn't crash to the floor like taichi had assumed it might. Instead it warped as it broke, leaving tai a tight entrance to the belly of the ship.

  
  
  
  


As he slipped inside his senses were assaulted. The compartment was pitch black and so as taichi fell it was only sheer luck that set him down on a desolate piece of walkway. He could have just as easily fallen onto some crate and hurt himself, but luck appeared to be on his side so far. There was a groaning whine that radiated from below him, no doubt within the bowls of the freighter there were many mechanical parts which needed better servicing. Tai puzzled at that for a time, for if they were mearly wanting a inconspicuous ship why not at least have a decent engine in the thing? After a slight deliberation he assumed that the government must have used an existing freighter and rented it for this mission. That made more sense so it would be recognized by some of the locals.

The smell was nauseating to tai as he held his scythe in the ready. It was damp back here, damp and full of mildew. Tai's nose could detect the pungent and sour flavor to the air. He would have to tune that out since the bile was already climbing up his throat. His vision became more clear as he could now see the refuse of old and warn tarp and other materials commonly found in a refuse satellite. As he made his way to the door he was relieved to see that it was in no way mechanical. No locks or consoles, simply a handle. He gripped the bar and pulled the doorway open. As he did a thousand beams of light erupted from the crack of the door. The next room had lighting, and to taichi's eyes it momentarily blinded him.

As he stepped forward through the doorway he found himself in a massive room with a gigantic creature covered in tarp. Tai found himself staring at the colossal giant who was propped against the far wall. The tarp was gently rising up and down with slow breaths. Tai knew that digimon were living things, but it still unnerved him that this huge mech was just as living as he. That it could reach over and grab him. That it could grind him to pulp within it's mighty grip. Tai recoiled from those thoughts for they were pointless ones. They were the thoughts of a scared and insecure child. Digimon are Benin until partnered. This digimon had no pilot to guide his actions and thus was in no way a treat to tai.

But somehow as tai watched the Greydramon breathing behind the white tarp he was drawn to it. A part of him felt a need to uncover it and save it from the darkness which it was wrapped within. He could almost sense a child like anxiety to it, despite the fact that it was far older then him and very un-childlike in appearance. It was breathing more softly now and tai didn't quite know why. It sensed him... felt him.

Digimon have powerful sensors... he knew tai was there, and seemed strangely pacified by the notion that it was not alone. Taichi had a brief inclination to talk to the mech, to try reassuring it. When that realization hit him he stepped back. This was so not like him that it scared him. He shuffled away from the Greydramon and turned for the door. 

As he pulled the slab of a door away, he was shocked to see the captain standing within the center of the room. Tai ducked behind the half opened door and peered back. By some incredible act of fortune, the pilot had not heard him. It seemed impossible for tai to still be undetected even after such a clear blunder, yet there he was.... unheard or seen.

He watched the man. He was dressed in a officer's jacket which was short enough to show tai the absence of a sidearm. He was a younger soldier. His body was more lanky then muscle, and his face bore the subtle marks of naivety. No scars or blemishes upon his slightly pale flesh that tai could see. His hair was pulled back, though it was done so sloppily and let several strands of hair escape order. Tai's hand went directly to the scythe which was already open and waiting for him. The man was in a trance as he stared at a cylindrical pod which was entangled in a nest of cables and other pieces of techno matter. He simply stood there watching the translucent core of the pod which Taichi could not see. There was a quickness to his breath and a slightly moist quality to his brow as his eyes studied whatever lay inside. His pasty lips were pulled into a sneer that disturbed taichi. He ran his tongue over his top lip with exaggerated movements..

The young officer wasn't clear to tai, his actions seemed strange and there was a sense of wrongness to them. That was pushed to its utmost as tai witnessed the officer's hand sliding downward from his side to the crotch of his pants. Tai's eyes grew wide with disgust as it became clear what the soldier was doing. Tai could faintly hear him panting out words but tai had no intent of hearing them. he felt the air grow even more putrid by the moment as his skin felt saturated with filth for witnessing this far.

Tai suddenly steeled his nerves, and with his freehand threw the slab door open. The sound thundered as the metal door clashed with the doorjamb. The officer spun around to see taichi who was possessed by a feral sheen in his dark chocolate eyes. His lips said nothing, but as the scythe came to view the young officer was freed from the stupefied stare and given strength enough to frantically turn to run. He was two steps away when death claimed him.

Tai had covered the distance in three quick bounds and one jump which brought him ahead of the man. As tai had passed him the scythe's edge had raked across the youth's spine, and as taichi landed in a low crouch he was able to watch the pervert's head roll down the corridor. 

His breath was shallow as he slowly rose to his feet. The ship was on auto pilot so all tai had to do for the moment was assure the greydramon was in good condition and not damaged, though that was very unlikely. But as he turned, he found himself staring into the core of the glass and steel pod. His breath caught in his throat.

Within the faint green muscle relaxing liquid she floated there. Tai's throat was solidified to a massive lump as he stared at the naked form of a young girl with flowing long hair. She was breathtaking as she glided there in a floating shroud of her own coppery-orange hair. It was long and glided as thousands of tendrils around her. Her face was earthshakingly beautiful with high cheekbones and a gentle curved nose that terminated in a button. The girl's lips were in a slight pout and the color of pink cotton candy which taichi had treasured as one of his rare indulgences to sweets. She had muscle, but not overly so, more the frame of an athlete with defined legs and a tightness to her. tai allowed himself a moment to take in the rest of her body and by sheer instinct commit it to memory. Everything from her slightly smaller, yet perportuned breasts to the gentle indent of her navel. Yet his eyes were drawn back to her face as he found himself staring into a pair of flaming ruby eyes. They glistened like flaming embers that never cooled. As tai watched he felt his own brow moisten, though for a different reason then the youthful soldier. His lips were dry as he mouthed out a word he had never used for a girl before "wow..."

He caught her eyes traveling him as well, they felt like a soft electrical charge over his skin. Then they dame to a rest on the scythe which was painted in the blood of his victim, soon the rubies focused on the decapitated corpse and the pool in which he lay. Tai watched her expressions and found no shock or horror in her. In fact there was the faintest glimmer of a smile on her pink lips. 

She gazed back to taichi and looked at him with implorement. He felt himself wanting to set her free. He felt something deep within him awaken when he looked at the girl with the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. It was like seeing her brought out a part of him. A faint attraction that flavored his judgement like a scent on the air. He had never really felt this yearning for any other girl. He could never get past the human disease which coarsed through them. they were always on something or swimming in some form of depravity. But this girl was different. She could be engulfed within the same problems that turned him so away from others, but he didn't care. He felt a need for her so strong that it sped his heart to a thunderous pounding that reverberated through his ribs like a series of explosions. There was a power to this girl behind the glass, a power that moved tai to the point of something spiritual.

She looked through him as though he were as clear as glass. And in those eyes she mirrored a deep sadness coupled to a greatness. She poured forth emotion in those eyes and without words was able to make a connection in taichi that no human had ever come close to making. She pressed her hand to the glass as she stared at him. Into him.

Tai didn't know what moved him to action so powerfully, but it did move him. The scythe in his hand seemed to glow white hot as he drew back. It was a pillar of kinetic energy that stretched from the weapon's handle all the way into his arm. He felt this force explode as the weapon collided with the armored glass which split open in a light gash which bled green fluid. The liquid that painted the girl in jade turned to a green fog once exposed to open air. The wound both bled out rapidly vaporizing fluid and a thick, puffy cloud of green smoke.

The girl had a wildness in her eyes as the muscle relaxant began to thin out as more and more of it was drained away. Soon she too began pounding on the glass. And with each strike her assault became stronger. Soon she was pounding to the point when the glass would crunch to clinging shards. Tai was shocked by the strength as she pounded harder and harder. She was still weak, but the strength was flowing back to her like a incoming tide to the shore. Tai suddenly felt the need once more and pulled back his scythe. It hung there for a moment before it was shot downward in such a force as to split the weakened pod down the middle. 

The prisoner suddenly threw both her fists against the two sides with such fury that they were reduced to shards. The remaining liquid gushed forth in a tide of both jade water and green smoke which vanished to the air. She stood there for a moment before wobbling and collapsing into taichi's arms. The girl was light. She coughed and spit up the green liquid as she was held tightly to the boy's chest. He was vaguely aware of dropping his scythe to the ground as he found himself clutching her to him as she gaged on the water. Her body was still weakened from the fluid as tai stroked her naked back and pressed her to him. She was soft and warm in a way that sent thrillingly exciting tremors down his spine. He felt his pulse throb in his veins with each contraction of his heart which seemed loud enough to rival thunder. 

By a great force that was both as alien to him and as moving as the stars themselves he found himself lowering his lips to her hair. He was just as shocked by his actions as she, when he kissed the top of her head. The girl's eyes shot open as he kissed her gently on the head. She smelled vaguely sweet and slightly exotic, with the faintest wisp of jasmine.

In a flash she had pushed away from him and drew back as if burned. Tai stared at her with wide eyes as she held her fists up in a vaguely offensive posture. She had question and shock laced into her crimson eyes as she stared at him. Tai blushed lightly at her nudity as he forced his eyes to remain locked on.

  
  


"Who are you?" he whispered in a voice of wonderment as he slowly lowered himself to pick up his scythe. His eyes never left the girl's which were locked to his in a radiant glare.

The second his hand clutched the scythe she reacted. Her lips pulled back into a toothy snarl which bore the wickedly sharp teeth that had grown in an instant's time.

Taichi felt himself pale as her eyes suddenly burst into flaming orbs of crimson light. They danced with wispy phantoms of transparent flame. Her breathing came out in a low and threatening hiss which sent shivers down his spine. There was a vague catlike quality to her as she eyed him like a mouse. Even the long flowing hair now seemed bristled and alive like that of an enraged cat. The ferality of the girl was terrifying to tai, but it didn't even begin to diminish the attraction he felt for her. even when she shivered with rage and seemed more animal then human he still found a strangely enticing quality to her. She snarled low in a growl that was almost that of a tiger.

Taichi was breathing shallowly as he moved with added wariness. His hand was clammy as he slowly retracted the scythe with a click. His eyes were still locked onto the luminescent eyes of the young woman who seemed transformed in the illumination cast down by the cylindrical bulbs overhead. She watched him with curiosity as he slowly returned the scythe to it's place at his belt. After a moment of pure stillness she relaxed. Her body calmed visibly as she continued to stare at him. 

  
  


"What are you?" he gaped with a slight tremor in his voice. She stared at him for a moment before deciding to speak. Her voice was low and with a tremor of something that tai couldn't place. He would call it the voice of an angel, but this voice was not the tone of a harp, more like the subtle caress of black velvet on the skin.

"Why did you free me?" she questioned in a low voice.

"No one deserves to be kept in that. Kept in a cage where you can't even feel or move." he spoke with a slight tremor in his voice.

"Why did you free me?"

"I don't know... I... i couldn't leave you in there. I had to do something...." he stuttered faintly as she stared at him with all traces of anger fading away like smoke. Her eyes glided over him like shadowy kisses that enlivened every inch of his skin.

"Who are you?" her eyes slipped shut with a sudden sorrow that took taichi by surprise.

"In my language i am Shara, but you may know me as Sora." tai gave a faint smile at the name. It was beautiful.

"My name is taichi.." she looked at him with the faintest glimmer of moisture to her ruby eyes. Tai found his eyes drawn to the unborn tears that lingered in her own. she looked at him with a sorrow that echoed outward from her like golden light from the sun.

"Is something wrong Sora?" he questioned

"Yes! You're a human!" she hissed with a sudden anger that caught tai off-guard. She used the word as though it were a horrible insult. As though evil itself was comprised of the two syllable word. Tai didn't know how to respond to the insult, so he mearly stood there and remained silent.

"I should kill you..." she growled softly as her eyes scintillated with tiny red wispy tendrils of transparent flame.

"Because i am a human.... why do you hate humans?" he questioned with as much placidity as he could muster. He watched as a tear rolled down her angelic cheek before vanishing in a downward free-fall to the steel grated floor. His hand longed to wipe the tears away but he didn't want to force her to make contact.

"Humans are monsters.... they murdered my parents, and have spent the last eighteen years torturing me. They don't deserve to live.... none of them." she growled. In spite of the low snarl tai drew a step closer. He reached out to touch her only to have her pull back lightly with a look of tempered anger in her soft crimson eyes.

"They tortured you?" he said softly with genuine sympathy, a emotion he hadn't yet felt for any other person in his life.

"I am the X-5, a research subject.... like a mouse or a chimp. They cut me to watch me heal.. Injected me with chemicals and drained blood so much that I could barley breath. I was an experiment." she had the faintest tremor in her voice as she spoke. Tai felt his stomach twist in pain as she mentioned being tortured.

"I'm sorry."

"I don't want pity."

"I don't pity... i was just saying that i am sorry you had to undergo that. I think i can understand why you hate humans. I guess i would too...." she looked at him with skepticism.

"I understand because i know that you are right about them.. About them being monsters."

"You're a human..." she said softly with the slightest thread of disdain.

"I never said i wasn't a monster." his voice was cold as he thought over the human species which he was unfortunately bound to by genes. Humans had destroyed their world, continued destroying each other, and it was humans who experimented on this girl before him. That bothered him in a way he couldn't really understand. He felt pangs of guilt ripple through him as though he himself had done those horrible things to the girl.

"You're a strange human Taichi..." 

"Was that a complement or an insult?"

"Does it matter?"

  
  


"Why did you kill that man? He was your own species..." she questioned as she glanced over to the severed remains of the pilot who had been cut down in mid stride. He was surrounded by a pool of crimson, and seemed eerie in the faint glow of the lights. Sora looked at him with a slight curiosity as well as a sense of mirth at the remains of one of her captors.

"It's my job to kill people..." 

"A race of monsters.... but at least you kill your own kind. I suppose that is a step up from the rest of humanity."

He gave a half smile as he looked at her smooth skin and radiant eyes. She did not return it. Tai suddenly was reminded of the fact that she was nude, as that realization reasserted itself he felt his cheeks burst into flaming blush. He glanced down sheepishly as Sora stood there in bewilderment. It was only after taichi mentioned it that she made a faint attempt at covering herself. Tai peeked up to find her too blushing. That was a pleasant surprise to him, to see that she was not completely alien to him. There was a faint glimmer of some of humanity's better qualities within her. they were subtle and sporadic, but they did exist.

"Umm... I should go to the cockpit and change the freighter's corse... why don't you borrow some of his cloths?" Sora looked down to the blood soaked pilot and made a face that caused tai to chuckle.

"I will not be wearing that man's clothing... but since it bothers you so much I'll improvise..." tai blushed a little deeper as he quickly turned away so he could hide the heat on his cheeks. He practically sprinted to the cockpit, leaving the hybrid to 'improvise'."

  
  


The cockpit was no different from the rest of the freighter, it too was old and worn, the chairs were of torn leather apolstry and the dials were cracked in several locations. The room was bathed in a faint red light cast down from the overhead lighting. Everything was either a shade of red, or a deep black. The consol was still as the grave when Taichi entered and sealed the door behind himself. 

With a labored sigh he fell backwards against a wall. The cool metal felt good on his back and seemed to slow the thunderous beating of his heart. He couldn't believe himself. how could he feel this way about a potential threat. And that was what she was... a human digimon hybrid with a hatred for all humans. Tai wasn't kidding about not liking them himself. but she would see him as another human... and maybe try to kill him.

Tai knew that he should try to eliminate this hybrid, but somehow he felt that he could never allow himself to harm her, that he could never allow anyone to harm her. she was a species apart, but perhaps that was where this attraction lay... she was not another human on their road to self destruction. Not another looking to drugs or fornication as a quick fix to life's pain. Whatever the source of the feelings, they were strong. And in all likelihood, stronger then his will to resist them. He went to work on the console.

They say there are moments that are so important that they change the coarse of your entire life. These moments come like lightning from a clear sky. As Taichi plodded away on the keypanel he was filled with the revelation that meeting this young woman was such a moment in his own life. Their brief interaction was all it took to awaken a side of Taichi that he had thought never to have existed. He knew how sudden this was, but it was no use... he loved her. somehow he could feel that love palpitating through him like blood from the heart. He had never felt love before... and in that isolation thought it to not exist within him. But now as his mind's eye took in the face of that angelic girl he discovered that there was within him a seed. A tiny seed, no larger then a grain of sand. That seed was buried within him deep beneath the ice and snow. But now it was growing.

In all likelihood she would want no part of him.... would in fact want to kill him. But as he thought about her and that mysterious feeling she invoked, he knew his destiny involved her. He would do what he could for her... to set her free of her captors. To protect her from any who would do her harm... to show her that there is at least one human who would not be prejudice and afraid of her.

Tai shook his head as he listened to his own thoughts. This was so much not him that it made possession seem like a plausible excuse. He was shocked by the sheer depth of feeling he had for this girl after knowing her so briefly. His eyes lowered back to the controls, as he began re-correcting the corse and deactivating the tracking apparatus. 

Whatever the corse of this new life he was embarking upon... it was already obvious it would not be a orthodox one, and most likely, a violent one.

  
  
  
  


*********************************

  
  
  
  


Sora stood before the Greydramon with a notable interest in the massive mech. She studied it's rhythmic breathing with a great fascination. The creature was bathed in a off-white tarp that hung around it in an endless array of shadowy folds. The entire mass was covered and looked like a giant ghost of fabric that. Sora slowly approached the base of this specter and took hold of the tarp. With a quick pull she had managed to remove a section. The fabric ripped noisily as she began crafting the tarp into a cloak.

Her mind was filled with questions that bore no answer. Most were about this assassin boy. He was human, one of the species that had killed her parents... but somehow she found that her hatred could not be easily rooted tword him. Never before had she had this problem. Humanity was so easy to hate. But this boy was somehow different. He said he agreed that they were all monster, but the troubling part is that she found her self believing him. Something about him inspired faith in her. 

And also there was a warmth. Not a fire, but a gentle heat that swelled within her body as she had touched him. Never before had she felt that. She had been touched by guards and scientists before, but there had always been such loathing in her when they touched her. it was like swelling nausea. But taichi.. He brought out pleasant little butterflies of heat within her stomach. She found herself wanting to touch him again. To feel that delightful little spark as their flesh touched.

When she had first seen him through the pod her plan had been to trick him into freeing her, then to kill him the second she was free. But that touch had saved him. He had caught her as she had fell and wrapped her in his arms. Her mind drifted back to how good those arms felt around her. he had done something else that registered as a pleasurable experience. He lay his lips against the top of her head. There was a word in their language for that... but she could not fully grasp it.

He was special in some way she could not grasp... and it was that which made her question if she would be able to kill him. She would spare him, at least until she discovered the origin of these feelings.

  
  
  
  


*********************************

  
  


The coffin like pods were on their final descent as the automated clock triggered their destruct. With a sudden whoosh of flame and gas the pods exploded outward in three sections of steel which spun outward in the perpetual motion of space. The figures within remained motionless for only a moment before they too awakened.

The two mechs were alive with ghosts of shadow and phantoms of light. Ever so slowly they begin to move as though they had just awakened from hibernation within that cell of steel and plastic. Their appendages moved with sinuous motions that gently stretched out their forms. The devimon's tail slowly worked back and forth with anticipation as his claws pulsed with movement. Angemon's wings flexed, giving him the impression of being massive before they pulled back down to his body. His eyes glowed a emerald green from behind the silvery visor. Which was painted with strange designs and flickering shadow.

The space around them seemed alive with a strange heat that warped the image of the distant stars to squirming silver striations. The ethereal angel hovered there alongside a archfiend in the form of a great black devil with leathery wings. It hovered there alongside it's holy predecessor with a seeming peace between them. Truth be told, it would be unsure which truly was the devil and which the angel. 

The humans within had been transformed in the brief time that elapsed from coffin to open space. It was now that they would be made to kill and hunt down the freighter. They would destroy the cockpit and then have a surrogate drag it back. Humanity was something to be shed when it was time to fight. Braedon was now truly demon as he hungered for the image of fire as it glides on the tides of space. They both were ready as their mech's suddenly picked up the faint signal of the freighter on their mid-range sensors. With less then a moment's delay they were off with no more then a solitary ember which spun off into oblivion in the thick blackness of cold space.

The two mech's wings flapped with wide swiping motions, that were in essence conditioned impulses. As they soared through the perpetual blackness of space. They flew with both thrusters and wings. Angemon's wings gently shifted as would a bird as it soared through air. There was no air in space, but it did still fly like an animal of the ancient earth. There was a grace to the motions of the two as they moved through space with seemingly flawless motion. Flying was controlled by the human pilot, but it was the digimon who supplied the instinct to make such motion possible. It was liberating in a way that surpassed words. 

Literature had said that humans had always dreamed of great blue skies back when there were blue skies. But now flight was so reachable in a way that left tin can airplanes or rocket spaceships so far behind. Digimon were the key to freedom from the earth and from the ground. Through them mankind could evolve, if only for a moment, to a dreamlike form in which flight were real. Many humans became pilots for this reason... and almost all of them believed it to be a religious, and even poetic experience.

Like a silver laced specter it was vaguely visible from where they flew. It looked so pathetic as it was enveloped within the all seeing field of the sensors. It chugged along with a seeming cockiness in the disguise which shielded it so sorrowfully poorly. It was only as good as that false face it wore. It was laughable... angemon's wings spread wider in anticipation while the black devil alongside it shifted into a cloak and rippled away into the blackness of space. The act of cloaking was more an instinct of the predatory digimon. Angemon was not equipped with a personal cloak, thus it would register as clear as a bell on the ship's sensors.

The mech's ethereal glow made the metal radiate a burning silver hue. Angemon was now radiating light as though it had just descended from heaven itself with all the splendor of firmament. The markings on its being became white flame as spectral light erupted from it in great swirling clouds. The aura of the great digimon cast a faint and yet blinding light that seemed to bend space from black to white. The light was only permeated by the faint emerald glow of the eyes which were still concealed beyond the visor's outcropping rim. He was flying faster now as his light became so magnificent that the radiance had illuminated the cloaked form of devimon who was racing forward with a predatory speed.

The devimon mech was burning with a strangely luminous dark light that twisted against the encroaching white. They were flames of black fire laced with the slightest trim of violet. The two mechs were racing forward now in a blind rush. No communication was shared between the two pilots as they guided their mechs forward with a grace and precision that was alluring in a dark and hypnotic way. They flew in seeming patterns that brought one around the other. as they met there were crackling sparks of white and dark lightning and flame. They cast off swirling tongues of energy as they glided forward in the dance. Soon the energy had intensified to the point where all of the mech was consumed within an orb of silver or black flame. Within that flaming pyre the mechs drew their weapons. The devil took up his scythe which stood more as a staff. Angemon clutched a beam Sabre of white flame that hummed a macabre tune like the whistle of an executioner. The speed was mounting with impossible perportunes as they were now atop the decrepit snake of a transport freighter.

  
  
  
  
  
  


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Tai turned around in the pilot's chair with an amused smirk on his lips. Sora was standing at the doorway clad in a white cloak that concealed the majority of her features. Her nudity was completely concealed behind the folds of the white fabric which billowed around her like a gown. It was surprisingly well crafted, especially considering that it had once been tarp. Sora gave a soft grin as she turned around so he could fully take her in.

The cloak glided on the still air as though it were no heavier then a feather. Tai found his eyes lightening as he took her in. The long coppery hair cascaded out from under the withdrawn hood in dozens of shimmering tendrils which lay at rest on her shoulder. She seemed to be more sociable now, though perhaps it was just tai wishing too hard that the hatred she felt to his species could be alleviated. But she was smiling ever so faintly, and that gave him some measure of pleasure. God how her face was transformed when she smiled. Her face became so human that he dared not tell her. but it was something he had never seen of the humans before. There was a kindness so deep that it was a river without beginning or end. He had known her for such a short time, but that was irrelevant... just a few moments with Sora had taught him that there was hope, even if not originating from a true-blooded human.

"What do you think Xian... err... Tai?" she corrected with a faint blush. Tai looked to her with question as he began to ask about why she called him by that strange name. His words were halted as she spoke with a more harsh tone then he would have preferred.

"Human language is not my first. Sometimes I slip and use my language on some words and names. Taichi is the equivalent of Xian in our language." she explained with softer tone then what she had used for the word "human." 

"Does it have a meaning?" he questioned with genuine interest.

"Deliverer." she replied softly as tai smiled at the word. He both liked the idea of Sora seeing him in some way as a deliverer, but it also was a grim reminder of the dreams which haunted him and the tattoo that marred his wrist. His eyes moved over sora and froze upon her wrist. He felt his blood turn to ice and his breath turn to stone in his windpipe.

Upon her wrist she wore the dark tattoo of a digidestined. It was a tribal heart in thick black ink upon her cream skin. It burned into his eyes with such power that he felt the color fade from his cheeks. Sora smiled softly as she looked into his eyes with a sobriety that kept Taichi from his breath.

"You... you're one of them." he gaped.

"One of us... you have a mark too." Tai glanced down to his sleeve which still covered the dark sun on his wrist.

" I can feel it in you taichi... just like you feel it in me."

"N-no... I can't feel anything. I'm not taichi Kamiya!" he breathed out in a faint but terrified whisper. Sora shocked him further as she stepped forward and in a blind act of compassion touched his face. 

"It doesn't matter to me tai... all they are dreams and memories from a long time ago. I don't care if i was some hero to humans back a thousand years ago. All that is a lifetime away tai.. I don't want to be a part of that world... and if you don't, then you don't have to be a part of it either." tai watched her as her face was so close to his that he could feel her warm and sweet breath as it transformed his skin to gooseflesh. She was so beautiful as those fiery eyes fixed on him with such a deep reservoir of tenderness that it moved him in a way he had never known possible. Her lips were so close to his own that he could see the faint shimmer of the overhead light in their aspect. Her words came to him as a soft fragrance that was heard instead of smelled. They gave him a comfort he could not adequately word. He breathed out her name as all the reply he could think of to her words of such meaning and eloquence. That name in itself was volumes.

Sora stared at him from her distance of no more then two inches apart, and as she looked through him with those ethereal eyes of molten flame he felt more life in himself then ever before.

What startled him more was the name he had used for her. He had not called her sora, but instead the name she briefly mentioned upon their first meeting. 

"Shara.." he breathed

Her lips were so close now that the heat they radiated filled his own as a phantom kiss that bore the dream of being made real in one more moment. Her words came as a faint whisper of lust and something else that tai could not name as of yet. She breathed out the word as her lips drew closer. "Xian...."

And just as they were about to make contact in the first kiss of both their lives the console came alive in the shrill scream of the proximity alarm.

  
  
  
  
  
  


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"You want to do the honors angel?" demon smirked over the com and was answered only with a faint smile from his partner. The com flicked off to the image of the docile freighter which hung there in seeming shock.

Angemon suddenly flung himself forward upon the serpentine freighter. The silvery sword of both steel and light was drawn out with a menacing sheen to the radiant blade. He drew back and brought it downward over the engine-room of the serpent freighter. It cut cleanly in a sudden eruption of silver flame. The metal was white hot where it had been cleaved and hung there in frozen momentum before the wounded engine erupted.

The great hulking machine screamed in a low, agonized, cry as the fuel cells bled plasma into the open compartments. In it's raw form it was a thick glowing gas, but as it kissed the burning metal where angemon had cleaved it, there was an eruption of flame that blew the severed compartment outward into space in fragments of burning steel.

The angel was bathed in white flame as it towered over the wounded snake with sword gleaming in malevolent light.

  
  
  
  
  
  


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Taichi's eyes went wide as he felt the jarring shudder of angemon's attack. As his eyes turned to the open doorway he was terrified by the wall of fire which rushed at them at a blinding speed. It had moved from compartment to compartment with a deadly persistence as it sought out flesh to make kindling of. The captain had already been charred to black soot by this very wave, and now it was coming for taichi and sora. Sora was staring at the flame with an intent gaze as taichi tried to form something in the way of a goodbye to his almost lover who would now be his partner in death.

She turned her back to the fire but as taichi stared at her face he saw no fear, just a silent resolve that evoked questions, but also hope.

"Are all humans so quick to accept death? No wonder you all are so easy to kill... well i for one am not ready to become extinct." she smirked.

Her back exploded with such force that it threw her cloak upward like a massive updraft of hot air. The gentle curve of her back on her shoulderblades came alive with motion as skin gave way to steel. Taichi's eyes were wide as two great skeletal appendage burst forth from her shoulders and then began to explode with thousands of metal blades in rows of attrition on these new branches of silvery steel. Tai gaped as the wings finally took shape. They were like an angel's wings only instead of soft downy these wings were of silvery metal plumes. The wings were massive and as Taichi felt himself enveloped within them, they seemed able to swallow up the two and still have room.

The massive silver wings closed around both Taichi and Sora in a seal that even the flames could not penetrate. Within the embrace tai was amazed by how safe it was within these wings. He glanced up and found Sora staring down at him with an amused look on her soft face.

"Can't believe I saved you...."

"Don't worry, you just did it so you can kill me later." he smiled grimly. She chuckled. The fire bathed over them, yet they lived safely within the shell of silvery wings that surrounded them. tai could feel Sora all around him, not just her wings either, but her arms too. It was only now that he realized how close they were. What once had felt like a massive cavern of silvery dark wings now was a bubble around them. the proximity was not unpleasant as it closed over them like a warm skin. He could feel that these wings were weapons for they bore a razors edge that was carefully adjusted so he would not be cut. They were like gold in texture, soft and yet strong. He felt safer in that seal of razor wings then he had his whole life. Even though they were steel there was still a warmth to them, like Sora herself.

"Are you an angel?" he whispered softly.

"Not even close Xian.." she smiled as she used his name in her tongue instead of his. The angelic wings opened and as they did there was a rush of hot air that stung Taichi's lungs as he breathed it in. Sora's hair danced in the hot winds as she questioned Taichi.

"What just happened?"

"We were attacked by something... the engine room must have exploded. We're dead in the water.." he cast a glance over to the console with trepidation, only to find the intense heat had destroyed the controls and left behind a smoldering pile of melted plastics and fused circuits. The air smelled of burnt leather and wire with the faint aroma of metalic gasses rising like specters from the decimated control room. Gentle flurries of ash danced along Taichi's feet as they made their way out of the control room and tword the engine room. There was a faint glow of fire radiating from the compartments with more fuel for the flame. Tiny particles of refuse now were alive with the flickering tongues of orange and yellow flame. The ceiling was clouded with black thick smoke that triggered the shrill scream of the fire alarms. The smoke was slowly wafting backwards in a gentle receding tide.

"Tai... the air is thinning!" Sora suddenly gasped. Tai was filled with a sudden profound fear. If the atmosphere were to be lost in this confines space then they would have no chance. He was unsure how Sora knew that the air was being drained outward through a gap in the hull. But now as he looked down at the flurries of ash and the slow tide of the smoke it was clear.

"We have to get to my ship!" tai yelled with a sudden urgency as he and Sora broke into a run down the smoldering corridors. They passed the charcoaled bones of the decapitated captain. He crumbled to dust as tai accidentally kicked his skull. Their footfalls clanged heavily on the metal of the walkway that still sizzled with heat from the inferno.

They had reached the compartment before Greydramon's when the loss of air became too much. Tai could feel the pull of the vacuum on him. As he looked through the partially open door he saw only fire and destruction. The corridor was cluttered with broken pipes and severed electrical wires, still crackling with white sparks. The room was littered with devastation and it became painfully clear that if they did make it to the raven it would be in similar condition. Tai felt nausea hit his stomach in waves as Sora stared bleakly at the devastated compartments. Her wings were pulled closer to her body, though they still were impressive.

"Without my ship we're dead." he stated blankly. For the first time he was truly against the idea of dying, yet here he was at it's doorstep. Sora snarled suddenly as her eyes turned the same wispy red as they had before. Her hair raised to full attention and glided on nonexistent currents of air. Her teeth had elongated to a more feral set of fangs that thankfully were not directed at tai. The wings on her back now were raised to a all encompassing stature.

"Like hell!" she roared in a voice of rage as her eyes exploded with ruby flame. Her hands shot forward and began crackling with light. The ash and debris on the ground swirled around her in a hurricane of wind and energy that cast her cloak into a frantic dervish dance. The metal grate underfoot began to shiver in fear as the ancient power of her species was evoked. Tai stepped back in shock as he watched the bolts from some of the wall mountings burst off like the corks from miniature wine bottles. Sora's hands were glowing with energy as she suddenly bellowed out in a enraged battle-cry. The ground between her and the passageway was suddenly ripped apart by a shockwave so intense and directed that it crushed steel like brittle sandstone in a direct line with the doorway. The room beyond exploded with embers and debris as the blast pulverized all that lay in her path. Tai covered his eyes as wood and steel splintered and cracked and fragmented to embers and rubble. Sora advanced upon the doorway and then repeated the attack to completely clear the room. When she turned to tai she found him clutching the wall taking shallow breaths. The air was so thin that he would soon pass out. she ran to him and grabbed him as he was about to fall. She was afraid of losing this boy. More afraid then she could remember being.

Sora scanned the room frantically until they fell upon the Greydramon. It was incredible. The thing had the qualities of a knight and a dragon all in one. Its wings were blades that lay around the kneeling form of the silverish-black mech. It's faceplate wore dragon horns and a helmet that resembled the mythic beast. Behind that helmet were various steel plates that preceded a red jewel-like orb that glistened faintly in the darkness of the room. The entire body was bathed in phantoms of shadows and wispy ghosts of orange light which washed in from the fire. Her eyes lit up as she stared at the slowly breathing digimon. A chance.

"Come on tai! We need to get you in the Greydramon."

"Sora... there's only room for one. I want you to get in." he ordered weakly which caused a faint smile in Sora as she pulled Taichi to the mech's chest.

"I'm part digimon remember? I can survive in zero atmosphere. But you need air!" she helped tai stand before the mech's chest and then cursed at how it was lacking a entrance. Tai's eyes fell upon it's chest which bore a red jewel that glowed faintly. It was massive, and covered the mech's heart. Tai could feel the slow and relaxed bass that radiated from within that jewel of ruby flame. His drowsy eyes fell upon a faint sliver of golden fire which erupted with each rhythmic beat. He slowly drew his hand closer to the orb and found that the golden fire grew the closer he got. 

His own pulse was hammering in tune with the golden light and the rapidly increasing thunder of the mech's heartbeat. His hand was so close now that the warmth spread to his finger tips. He touched it.

The heart exploded with golden and red flame as thousands of tiny lightening bolts assaulted tai's hand. He felt the sparks of golden fire probe through his veins and into his very core. He pressed down on the jewel that was the shared heart of Greydramon and himself. Sora stared in awe as she witnessed the partnering. The chest suddenly erupted in a gentle white steam as the armored torso gently opened to accept him. Layers of metalic and organic armor parted to open to a warm dark hollow. Sora helped push Taichi into the cavity and watched in shock as it sealed itself with him inside. She jumped off as her eyes locked on the mighty Greydramon.

  
  
  
  


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Tai felt himself being pulled deeper into the core of the Greydramon. He wasn't sure if the thundering heartbeat he heard was the mech's or his own. but he felt a strange comfort as he was pulled deeper into the mech's body. His arms were stretched out while his feet remained together. the air was clean and plentiful now as he assumed the Greydramon was producing it for him. The entire cavity was alive with motion as it shifted itself to match his body. There was only darkness to be seen, but as he listened his senses were filled with a strange song. It was like the singing of whales in the deep oceans of the lost earth. Only the oceans remained whole on that planet after the sky turned lethal. Whales and other aquatic animals eventually were able to adapt to this change. 

Tai had heard the songs of whales and dolphins and there was a similarity to the sound of the digimon. It was something that comforted Taichi in a strange way. As though he were able to almost hear the Greydramon's thoughts. He continued to listen for a while as the mech acclimated itself to him. He was shocked when he felt the pain start. It was so fast and so agonizing that he screamed out. All along his spine he felt the hot pain as something was impaled into the nervous chord. The tiny pieces of Greydramon soon vanished in his consciousness as they positioned themselves along his spinal chord. The wounds healed faster then humanly possible and as they healed all that remained of the fiery pain was a low ache. 

He was doubled over in pain when all in one great flash the world was opened to him. He suddenly could see in a way he had never thought possible his vision came from all angles and spectrums. His mind existed on plains that preceded all his wildest dreams. He found with shock that he could see Sora through greydramon's eyes. He moved his hand and was startled to find that the greydramon's hand moved. It was a strange experience to suddenly be someone else. No longer tai, but now the greydramon. He spoke to sora through the com and was amazed that both, he knew how to use the com, and that the voice he produced through greydramon was his own. He wished he were a poet so he could adequately word this amazing feeling of being a part of something more then just what he was. It was like being tossed into the very core of the universe and having every mystery and sensation shown and explained to you. He could feel beyond feeling and know things that he could not explain to any who were not partnered to a digimon.

"Hey tai! You in there?" sora yelled up. Tai focused on her and was astounded to be suddenly made aware of every microscopic hair on her body and every last gentle and unperceivable curve of her body. He felt her heart beating as though his hand were to her chest.

"This is incredible.... god sora.... it's amazing." he gaped as she stared up at him.

"Tai focus.. Don't let yourself drift off. We need to get out of this thing before whatever attacked us decides to finish the job. Can you work that thing?"

"I.. I think I can..."

"How about weapons? What does this thing have?" she yelled up in question. He winced.

"Sora, these sensors are really good at picking up sound. Please quit yelling." he spoke softly as he and greydramon both rubbed their ear on impulse even though one didn't have ears, and the other wasn't hearing sora with his ears.

"Geez sora... not like this thing comes with an owner's manual." sora raised an eyebrow.

"How do i get stuck with the only assassin in the species who doesn't know how to use a mech. I thought everyone of your kind was some kind of pilot." she quipped.

The greydramon slowly raised to his feet with a degree of uneasiness. Its clawed talons dug into the ground, carving a series of deep gashes which shredded metal like paper. The two wings at his side stretched outward and then closed back to their ready positions at his side. The mighty titan of grey steel stood more surely now as it tested the new appendages. It was basically human, but the dragon side was undeniable. It was something more then any other mech in a way that could not be clearly elaborated on. It looked to sora through the gleaming redness of it's jewel-like eyes. 

It stretched out a hand, and within a moment the talons exploded outward like a series of wicked swords. It flexed its claws with genuine interest to the new faculties of this body. The talons gleamed brighter in the faint amber glow of the flames. They were bathed in the faint orange light cast off by the flames which danced in agony over the last of the oxygen.

"Are you really positive about that no air thing? Cause to get out of here we are going to need to go through open space.." he worried.

"My kind are space dwellers. I can breath and survive in space without a ship or a life support system. Worry about yourself, whatever decided to kill the engine is still probably out there." she smirked with a dark glee at the idea of a fight. Tai knew she was truly preying for a group of human manned mechs with which she could shred. He wasn't sure if one hybrid could actually take on a mech... but sora's confidence in it was all he needed to push him onward. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


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"Not very much of a workout if you ask me." angel quipped as he floated next to demon's mech which was hovering silently while spinning his scythe.

"What were you expecting? Lets just have a surrogate tug this thing back. They should both be undamaged by the fire, but the pilot must be charcoal by now, no sense waiting for all the air to drain out." demon reasoned as he motioned for one of the surrogates. The machine responded with mindless enthusiasm as it flew over to the front of the machine and latched on. It was no more then a drone to the will of its superiors.

Just as the freighter was beginning to move there was a sudden anxiety in angel. He quickly made contact with demon.

"My sensors are detecting an energy signature!" he yelled over the com with a suddenness that startled the younger pilot. The sensors were screaming with warning as the energy source came alive before them. They were about to call back the surrogate when the freighter wrenched violently forward. As if struck. The serpentine transport curled back on itself in convulsion as the central compartment exploded outward in a hail of steel and flame which erupted like a cyclone of debris. They drew back in astonishment and horror as the freighter "harmony" was reduced to fire and steel within a heartbeat's time. The explosion came out as a storm in the inky blackness of space. The fire danced outward in the remaining oxygen like a nest of flying snakes. The flame spun outward in a dervish around a central figure of massive size that was bathed in flame like a cloak.

The two marauders gaped at the figure which swam in a sea of golden flame. It was shadow and fire to them now but as the fires died it came more clear to them. a cold sweat ran down Takeru's back as he watched the massive mech stretch out its colossal wings of razors. The memory was a closely rooted one to Takeru as he watched the dragon knight arise from the flame. He was afraid to some extent but thrilled all the same. He wanted this to ring true... to be given the chance for vengeance against the foe which might be standing here.

Greydramon roared outward in a reptilian cry that was saturated in savagery. The sensors stretched outward and touched the mechs that surrounded them. tai was shocked by the ease of moving greydramon. Some of it was second nature to him while other aspects were shrouded behind a strange fog in his mind. he felt the presence of devimon and angemon. Though one was partially hidden behind a cloaking device he could still sense it on some level.

  
  


"Tai... do you feel them?" sora questioned as she floated beside him, her wings gently shifting to keep her balanced.

"Yeah i do... but sora i am not a pilot. These guys are going to kick my ass if i try fighting them."

"Well now would be a good time to get good at using that thing cause those are not pacifists over there. They're marauders... that means they are here to steal the ships cargo, greydramon and me..." Taichi's eyes darkened as that thought registered fully within his mind.

his voice came in a low and reptilian hiss that seemed both the be greydramon's voice and his own. "no..."

  
  


"This is angel, from the marauders. you are to surrender the greydramon and the digital hybrid to us. Eject now or be destroyed" the comm hissed out as taichi stared into the stolid expression of angel. His ruby eyes gleamed in a way that was similar to sora's, though they were more the shade of blood then fire. He smiled thinly at tai.

"No... leave now or i will kill you." he uttered darkly in the tone of an assassin. His eyes gleamed with a strange light in the darkness of the cockpit. Angel smirked at the words with no attempt to hide the pleasure he got from hearing tai's readiness to fight.

"Understood... i hope you are a better pilot then you appear to be. The com flicked off 

  
  


Angemon stretched out his sword to the surrogates. They stiffened under his gaze with a mindless readiness. With a motion from angemon's blade they dove upon greydramon at a incredible speed. Their claws stretched open like four massive switchblades as they rushed downward upon him.

Greydramon managed to dive out of the way in the last moment as the first of the wraiths nearly split him down the middle. Tai was frantically searching for how to activate some form of a weapon on this mech when he was struck from behind by another bakamon. Tai cried out in pain as he and greydramon both lurched forward and hissed in agony. He managed to turn to see the bakamon which had wounded him standing there with its claws bathed in a blood-like liquid that must be greydramon's. He was suddenly struck by the realization of how strong the link he and the mech shared. Damage to one was damage to them both.

The bakamon charged him with open claws. Tai managed to cover his face just as the claw would have connected for a death blow. The attack throbbed in tai's forearm as he stared up helplessly at the spectral digimon. It had drawn back for another attack which would probably kill him when sora suddenly flung herself upon him.

The surrogate was thrown off the stunned greydramon by the force of the impact as the feral sora hovered before him. Her hair was standing on end as she flung herself upon him. Tai gaped as she proceeded to shred into the mech with claws and wings. She was engulfed within such a rage that soon she was screaming out words in her language as she ripped plates of metal off the wounded bakamon. He shrieked in a cold metalic voice as his body suddenly fell limp.

Sora looked up just in time to see the second bakamon as it smacked her off its fallen brethren. Sora was caught off guard and thus had no time to defend against the hit. She was propelled backwards by the force which would have killed any normal human.

Tai shrieked in rage as in a moment he was up. The greydramon moved like lightning as within one motion it was able to use its open wing full of razors to slice through the bakamon which had hurt sora. The mech floated there for a moment before it burst into flames. 

Sora looked up at tai with a measure of pride as she spat a bit of blood from her mouth. She cast a small smile to tai as proof that she had survived without serious harm.

  
  


"Good... it would seem our little pilot is not completely inept as a fighter." angel smirked to demon who also was watching the fight with interest.

Tai grinned darkly as some of the fog receded. With a flash of blue fire greydramon was in battle with the next. It skillfully dodged a swipe from one of the clawed hands of a bakamon. As the enemy was off balance he grabbed the bakamon by the head. The digimon squirmed against him for only a moment as greydramon suddenly quelled his struggling by ripping the head off the mech's torso. 

Greydramon hurtled through the sky from one bakamon to the next with a seemingly limitless capacity for battle. Tai had stopped thinking as now all was impulse that perhaps was coming from him or maybe the greydramon. Thought had faded away to reaction as he began getting lost in the act of fighting. The surrogates were no match for greydramon as soon it had decimated the last of them and left them no more then floating debris on the dark tides of space. The world was now fire and light which swirled around him like the dream he had the previous night. He was only able to hear his own shallow breaths as he panted softly from exertion. Sora was beside him, but she was surprisingly quiet as she allowed him time to digest this new experience.

he glanced upward and saw the two mechs staring down at him with interest. Devimon was now uncloaked as he peered down with glowing red eyes. They were judging taichi as a pilot with a silent deliberation. Tai knew that soon it would come to a fight between the four of them, but for now all was still as they conversed with one anouther.

  
  


"He is impressive, even for fighting surrogates." demon observed as he stared at the greyish black flesh of the digimon who glowered up at them.

"I know... when i first saw him i thought he might be the black monster. But the greydramon doesn't look enough like it, despite a few similarities. Also the boy who is piloting the greydramon is a newbie... not like the black monster." angel said softly.

"He's not going to give up the hybrid or the mech."

"It was a risk that the greydramon would find a pilot. Ishida wanted it for our forces, but since it is partnered to this kid we have no recourse but to make sure it doesn't fall into an enemy's hands. As for the hybrid... We can make due with some of her genetic structure if we can't take her alive."

"You are loving this aren't you?" demon smirked as he raised an eyebrow.

"The chance to do battle against a digimon like that... you know it. Don't try to deny that you don't want this chance also. You were cut from the same cloth as i... this is a new plateau for us. We have never done battle against such a foe."

"Even though the pilot is a joke?"

"Well hopefully greydramon will be able to make up somewhat of a challenge."

"Don't underestimate the pilot... there is something about him that bears watching." demon smirked with a fading veil of restraint. As he and angel spoke the two mechs became more heightened for battle. The tense energy that radiated of them seemed more vivid in the faint blackness of space. Around them minute particles of gas and metal fragments swirled in tiny currents of space. In the distance the severed carcases of the bakamon floated like dead fish upon oily water. They were not intact, most were torn to shreds and left so decimated that they were no more then scrap armor and twisted cybernetic flesh.

Angel slowly lowered so that he was on the same level as taichi. His green eyes burned beneath the visor with wispy flames of jade. The wings of this massive angelic figure stretched outward in a form of great majesty. The digimon was slender and sleek, even despite the massive armor which hung over the angel's chest with long and ridged thorns and spines of shimmering silver. It was only now as taichi stared at the digimon that he caught the faintest wisps of long platinum hair which floated like spider webs. 

The greydramon growled low at the image of the humanoid foe. There was a dragon's heart now bound to taichi's. A hunger and rage that seemed to bubble up from the digimon's core. He was more dragon then anything else and that bred for a fiery lust for conflict and war. It watched with interest as the black devimon lowered downward to meet him. The two were armed with weapons of various origins. The angel had a sword that seemed mostly energy based while the devil carried a massive steel scythe. They were both fearsome opponents with a seemingly superior mastery of their mechs. And what troubled him most is that on some levels he hoped they were as strong as they appeared.

The com flickered to life with the image of angel. His eyes were ice as they burned into the chocolate orbs of taichi. Tai stared back with a collected and yet menacing glare. As angel took him in the ice shimmered ruby. They spoke of a vague surprise in the look of the young assassin. He studied tai in that instant with more intensity then any sensor. They were looking for something in tai... something he didn't know.... the probing stopped as angel assumed taichi did not remember him. That was good... but even a unawakened taichi would be capable of testing takeru's limits. This would be a new high for takeru to fight his one time mentor and hero. Taichi had once been so much to him... a role-model for his every conception of courage and honor. He would relish a fight against such a powerful opponent... 

But if he won... to kill taichi would be more then he could stand. He dreaded the realization that he had finally been able to surpass his hero. In a thousand lifetimes tai had always been so far ahead... always a teacher and never an equal. The thought that takeru could defeat this icon was a troubling one, in his heart he knew he was not ready to become a role-model or icon.

"You have passed the first trial, but now you face us. You will not live past this day pilot, but let us see if you can die with honor." demon spoke in a low and spectral voice as he stared into the chocolate brown eyes of taichi. He was probing into tai with that gaze that seemed capable of reading thought as easily as text. Tai stared back without a reply as he listened to the slow pulsing heartbeat of greydramon.

Tai closed his eyes for a moment before opening them with a newfound darkness. "You will not get her... i refuse to give you the chance to put her into another laboratory. She and greydramon are under my protection." he spoke with such resolve that angel took notice in a difference about him. A darkness that burned alongside those same old codes of honor and heroics.

"What does it matter to you? You could leave the mech and the girl. You are a decent pilot, honor dictates that you are worth sparing. If you make no further act of aggression against us, we will drop you off at a space port. You aren't going to get this offer again..." angel uttered with no levity in his soft and yet powerful voice.

"I can't abandon sora." he whispered faintly.

"What is your name boy?"

"Taichi."

"Well then taichi... you have something many don't posses. Courage and loyalty are virtually gone in this world. I am impressed that you are willing to stand for a hybrid, a creature most would damn because of fear and prejudices of her race. You have earned my respect and that is something few have." angel said

" i don't suppose you are willing to let us go?" he chuckled.

"I may respect you taichi, but i still have a task to perform. Good luck."

  
  


All was suddenly illuminated as the majestic angel shot forward upon the dragon. Greydramon was able to narrowly evade the downward strike from the silvery sword. As the blade cut the space, tiny embers of silver broke away and flickered in the dim light. Greydramon shot backwards as angemon swiped out horizontally, again kicking up silver flakes of light which died in the cold of space. Tai was withdrawing as the angel attacked with a lightning quick volley of slashes. Each time greydramon was able to evade, but they soon became faster and more powerful.

The dragon slipped away from an upward thrust, but was caught in the face by a well placed kick. The impact jarred taichi as the greydramon hurtled backwards unceremoniously. Pain burned within his jaw as he used his wings to stop his momentum. With a sudden flash of light his attention was drawn upward to where angemon was hurtling downward with sword ready. The moment was frozen as greydramon had no time to fly away. All he could do was draw up his hands in defense.

It was then that a new faculty became available to his use. From the core of greydramon, which was pure energy, thousands of tiny metalic tendrils grew like veins and arteries. Tai gaped as the coiled nerves of silicon grew throughout the entire mech at startling speed. Tai didn't really grasp their purpose until the blade was an inch away. And then as death seemed close enough to touch it happened. It was lightning through the veins. The energy from that great surging core shot outward through these new organs like power cables. It exploded from the heart of the greydramon to the forearm where the flesh was changing to accommodate this new adaptation.

Just as death was about to snatch him up the forearm of greydramon exploded with jade light. It was a blinding flash of emerald which swirled outward in waves of living energy. The energy solidified in the form of a blade. It was of pure energy that gleamed with jade luminosity. As angemon's sword collided with it the two energies clashed and crackled like thunder. Angemon was frozen in shock as was greydramon by the sudden evolution of the mech.

"A pure energy weapon!?" demon gaped from his place farther back.

The light flashed like a strobe of jade and silver as the two mechs bore down against one anouther. tai snarled out in triumph as he threw angemon backwards. The angel was stunned but not damaged as tai glanced down to the burning sword in his hand. It hummed faintly with a metalic growl.

"TK! That weapon was pure energy... not energy created around a amplifier like your mech's sword. How can it focus that kind of power?!?" demon gasped. Sora smiled at tai from where she floated.

"He's learning that thing faster then normal...." she breathed out, more to herself then to anouther.

  
  


"Good... he's better then i had hoped...." angel smiled.

  
  


Angemon exploded forward once more. This time greydramon advanced as well at a blinding speed. They clashed sword to sword over and over again in a dance of speed and fury. The sky was alive with the luminescence from this battle as silver and green light exploded like lightning over a cloudless sky. The two darted forward and struck out three times before darting away in a new maneuver. Greydramon was flying faster now as it glided on the tides of space like a rocket. The razor wings would slash at the angel at various intervals while the two drew close enough for such maneuvers. 

After the dance had gone on for a seeming eternity angemon retreated out of range.

"Lets step the lesson up a notch..." he smirked while panting lightly. As the words left his mouth the angel mech's wings stretched outward to full length. Greydramon drew back in shock as the angel's wings began to spark with blue lightning. It started small with no more then a few brief flashes, but soon it was alive with crackling blue and silver thunder.

"Heaven's charm!" it called out in TK's voice

the wings suddenly erupted in thousands of tiny blue bolts of lightning. Greydramon shot backwards as the glowing bluish embers of light and lighting exploded at him like a barrage of tiny comets. They came at greydramon in waves off attrition that were not easy to avoid. He flew upward in a corkscrew pattern and was only hit by a few dozens of the thousands of blue cinders. They all massed together in a tightly knit pack as they rocketed upward after him. By instinct alone he was able to close himself up in the dragon wings and focus the strange energy to a shield. Even behind the green shield and the armored wings it felt as though he were being torn to bits under such a ferocious assault. The shield exploded into fragments of green energy which fizzled away soon after being flung outward into space.

He was laying there in a daze as he became vaguely aware that the impact had hurt him severely. Ribs were broken and he had a light concussion. Wounds shared by greydramon.

He glanced up to see both enemy mechs exploding forward at top speed with weapons drawn.

"Good try taichi... it was an honor killing you." angel muttered as he drew closer to make the kill. It was only as they were no closer then seven feet that taichi's eyes shot open with a strange and unnatural light. Greydramon's sword had dematerialized during the impact of angemon's attack, and now he opened both clawed palms to the oncoming attackers. The veins of energy crackled within him as he suddenly spoke out words he didn't fully comprehend.

"DRAGON RAGE!!!" as the words echoed through his own ears and those of his opponents the energy began to take shape. Angemon and devimon halted their attack and tried to break away, but were caught within the tidal force of the attack. Energy erupted from his hands like a maelstrom of liquid fire which was jade and silver and dark black all at once. The blast engulfed the two mechs with one great bite and continued to throw them backwards. The beam was devastating as they were able to break away from the blast. The two mechs were charred and damaged as they managed to regain equilibrium. Tai had passed out during the attack, drained from both wound and energy loss. Greydramon was also in a seeming state of unconsciousness as he hung there in space without motion, wings open and limp alongside the arms.

"I can see why Ishida wants that thing... it has a limitless energy reserve. If it wasn't still weak from my attack it could have killed us I bet." angel muttered as he willed the angemon mech back to life. Demon was doing the same as they both prepared to finish off the immobilized mech. However, just as they were almost recovered Sora appeared before them with a dark smile on her lips.

"Forgot something did you?" she smirked. Her hair was flowing in nonresistant wind as she raised her hands out to the weakened foes. The palms of her hands were glowing white, as she stretched out her wings to their utmost.

"The human Taichi is under my protection now... remember that if you ever try to harm him again...." she growled as her hands raised skyward. Braedon and Takeru both looked up with trepidation as the very fabric of space began swirling with energy. Clouds of energy swirled like the spectral clouds of nebulas. The energy was localized over Sora like a thick rain cloud that shimmered with heat lightning. And then as she brought her hands back down, two bolts of silver lightning struck, erupting from the heart of the nebula cloud and exploded upon the two mechs. They were engulfed within the silver light which danced over their frames in thousands of tiny bolts of silver lightning. They were suddenly thrown backwards by a monumental force into space, adrift. 

Sora watched them for a time to insure that they were both unable to counter attack. It seemed that they were both unconscious due to the final attack. Sora knew that their mechs were already healing them, and that within half an hour the two would be back to full strength.

Her attention returned to Greydramon as she flew over to him. He was alive and awake to some extent, though Taichi remained in a deep dreamless sleep. She stroked Greydramon's massive hand with the knowledge that Taichi could feel it.

"Come on... we need to get you some place to recover..." she said with genuine concern. Her gaze slowly fell upon a tiny planet in the distance. Sora stared at it for a moment before closing her eyes. She sighed heavily as she spoke out a name with many feeling attached to it. A place of memories... and perhaps their salvation.

  
  


"Earth...."

  
  
  
  
  
  


******Hope is a very intangible thing.**

**It can be kindled or extinguished within a heartbeat.**

**It soars and it plummets.**

**Hope is a key**

**it opens the gateways to all things worth having.**

**If we lose it, we ourselves are lost.**

**Cultivate it, or be lost.**

  
  


**Not The End...**

   [1]: mailto:logan91235@aol.com



	4. The Dying world

Oh my god I finally finished this chapter. I would like to apologize profusely for the massive wait i put on all of you. I hope you find this chapter worth the wait. The reason it took so long is because i can only write on the weekends with my schedule as it is. But by god i will finish this fic or die in the process. Either or. This isn't the best i have written but it isn't the worst. Lol don't flame me for that ok ^^

ok now about the recent problems fanfiction net has been having with the author alert. I have decided that so long as the author alerts are for the paying members only i will do my part to help anyone who wants to know when i post something new. I'll do a mailing list that will serv as an author alert for anyone who wants to know when i post something new. The details of this are at the bottom of my member profile on fanfiction net. I am not a bot so there is always the chance i may forget to send a message out when i post something. But i will try to be consistent.

Hope that helps. If interested take a look at the member profile.

  
  


Let me know what you think of my writing at [logan91235@aol.com][1]

  
  
  
  
  
  


******Dark Horizon******

by Logan

  
  
  
  
  


  


__**_"The Dying world"_****__**

  
  


They had managed to land with some luck in the ruins of the once great city "New York." the city had once been called a pearl among cities. The land of opportunity where a great statue had once stood as a guardian and a greeter to ship fulls of the hopeless who came to this land seeking a better life. Perhaps they had achieved that goal once... pulled themselves up from squaller to a world that knew no bounds. That was not the case now.

The great statue of liberty now lay crumpled upon the stony earth of her isle. Where once her flesh had been a faint jade green, now it was a thick and matted brown with faint streaks of coppery red rust. The torch and most of the face lay intact upon the ground, though now the torch was missing plates and scarred by the all consuming rust. The sad eyes of the statue looked out from a pile of twisted metal with a deep lament upon her unblinking eyes. She stared out over the once great city with a timelessness that seemed to be older then the stars in the heavens.

The great city was now toppled and stood there in the burning sun like the bleached bones of long dead giants. Some of the buildings still stood while others had toppled to the earth in a mountain of concrete and steel. They had crushed into the network of tunnels with such a force that they shook the world as the mighty giants died. Some buildings had fallen into the bay and now lay there half submerged. The currents of water flowed through the office building with the same tide it had always had. Mankind's greatest achievements lay there now, dead upon the scorched earth.

Some say the fall of the planet was due to warheads... others pollution.... but the result was all the same. Mankind had caused the thinning of the fragile shield that kept the solar radiation at bay. Without that layer the sky turned to death, and soon the golden sun killed and broiled whatever could not find refuge. The land was now a desert of golden sand that blew across endless plains and dunes. The city of new York had managed to survive being buried by no more then luck. The currents of air had kept the sands at bay and left the once great metropolis standing.

Sora had managed to guide the Greydramon's fall so that it landed without violently crashing to the stony earth. Tai was hurt badly... that was becoming more clear to her with each hour. The stress of partnering, then the attack, had left him on the point of death. He was only human she reminded herself. After much work she had successfully pulled him from the chest of the mighty dragon. Tai looked so fragile as he had been lay there beside the mech. His forehead bled freely for a time and it seemed that his breathing caused him pain. This hurt Sora far more then she was ever prepared for.

She could remember Taichi as he had once been. Through the eyes of centuries he had always been looked on with love and friendship. But that was a lifetime ago. She hated humans, and here she was terrified that this one may perish. She lay beside him in the shadow of one of the tilting skyscrapers. She found herself more at peace as she remained close to him. Touching was better, though always within earshot. She had gently touched his cheek on various occasions during the first few hours. 

There was a faint film of perspiration on his brow. He was too close to fever.. Too close to dying. Sora lay her head on his chest, careful of the ribs, his heart was still beating. Soft and rhythmically it tolled to her. She could smell him. His scent was an earthy one, a simple and yet appealing musk that she committed to memory. There was a part of her that responded to scent as would a digimon. She could smell so much about him... it was as though it were some sixth sense. In his scent she could divine certain traits about his health and even his nature. She could trust her own olfactory sense far more then the word of a human... that sense gave her the impression that this boy was special... rare... and that it would be a great loss if he perished on this lost world.

The attraction was a strong one. She felt closer to him now, even as she looked down on him she was not repulsed. He was human... no trace of digimon in his lineage... but she still found his slender cheeks and perportuned nose pleasant. He was human, but more then that. The evil in that race seemed to be no more then a whisper in this boy. She smiled down on him as she drew her head to his own. She nuzzled him gently as she breathed him in. 

Sora had lived her life in a cell of glass and steel. She had been a prisoner and a victim for so long that these new feelings had all the more power over her. They were truly new... compassion for an enemy... but more so. The desire to take a mate. Love. Digimon mate for life, and Sora was part digimon. She felt a strange pleasantness at the idea of having tai as her mate. She couldn't hep at chuckling at the irony of herself considering a human for a mate. But then again... she didn't see tai as a human. Just a very strange digimon.

Her hand slipped into his own limp hand as she slowly curled up next to him. Once the sun set, she would go out and see about finding food and water. If Taichi died she would truly be alone again... and that scared her. There were so few of her own kind left. And there were no other humans like Taichi. If she lost him, she might never find a mate worthy to share her life with.

"Don't go and die Xian..." and with that she fell asleep beside him.

  
  


*********

  
  


Ishida leaned back in his plush leather chair as he stared hatefully down upon the green numeric screen which cast a jade glow over his features. There was obvious displeasure to him as he found himself reading a very unpleasant mission report from his two star soldiers. Never before had demon and angel been defeated... and this rare defeat would coincide with his grab for the prize of prizes.

Both the Greydramon and the hybrid had managed to escape him. He could infer where they had taken refuge, but it was more the fact that Greydramon now had a partner. It would be beyond salvage... it must be destroyed. The hybrid was a goal he must achieve. He had heard that this hybrid was a digidestined from Takeru. Even though it was just a suspicion, no more then a feeling in the pit of the stomach, he knew it to be true. The digidestined had a knack for sensing one another... 

It must be Sora. He reasoned within his mind as he tried to recall where the other female digidestined had made their alliance. Sora was the only wild card... if she were the digimon hybrid and a digidestined then he would get more then he ever dreamed. He had come in search of her looking for longevity and here he found immortality at his fingertips. He must find this hybrid.

And there was a new player in this game... someone had been deemed worthy by the greydramon to share souls with it. That was one of the greatest threats now... though a hatchling, the greydramon was the first of the omega level digimon. Seth was the older and more matured of the two omega level digimon, but his power was derived from the greydramon.

The greydramon could be a match... or stronger. And the idea that such a powerful digimon had found a partner who matched its strength was un-nerving. This human had too much potential. Far to many lines of fate were leading to him. And in the core of his being yamato knew that this human could be a threat.

  
  


"Who are you? An enemy or an Allie?" he paused as his eyes fell upon the darkness.

"Tai?" he paused as he spoke the name so long hidden in the darkest vault of memory. Taichi... would fate send him to stop yamato? The same force that created him. Thousands of years had taught matt a valued lesson, fate loved irony. And on that premise it became more clear who the pilot really was. Taichi.... he had reappeared and was being placed in a position to destroy the commander.

"It would seem the time is at hand for me to be reunited with my brother... and finally settle this score." he traced his scarred throat gingerly as he rasped. 

  
  


"Excuse me sir... we are here as you requested" a new voice echoed through the darkness of the room. Ishida glanced up to see the form of a young man with a face tattooed with various symbols in thick black lines. His face was dominated by the tribal markings which were dominated by a three pointed star which was drawn with such intricacy that it boggled the mind. the star was divided into three sections of unique design. All the other markings were centered around that central design. 

He bore the making again as a necklace of silver. Which stood out against the cold grey chest armor. He wore a baggy green undershirt below the cold steel which hugged his imposing frame. Upon each thigh he wore specialized holsters for his custom buster rifles. Such weapons were outlawed for their excessive force. They were capable of crippling mechs with only a few shots, and the result one could have on the delicate pressurization of a space colony was directly the cause of the ban. He wore the two well oiled weapons with a sense of pride for the complete abandon of the laws of man. 

He was soon followed by a smaller youth with no armor. He had braided brown hair which fell over his back in long strands. His eyes were downcast, but even at that angle they gleamed a glossy black with no trace of white which seemed ablaze in the darkness of the room. his dark clothing was loose and baggy and bore no weapon holsters. This youth was not imposing or boisterous, yet as his eyes fell upon you, they would evoke a fear more profound then any ever before felt. There was a core of icy darkness in this boy with the unimposing features and brimstone hued eyes.

Both of them stood before Ishida with a silence that augmented their complete lack of repose. They faced Ishida, though the younger boy did avert his eyes from direct contact.

"Sir.. how may we be of assistance?" the dark youth questioned in his gentle and yet desolate voice.

"Thank you for your promptness Alexander, Sin. I have called you in to inform you both of the failure of demon and angel to take possession of the greydramon and hybrid. This failure has proven the strength of our adversaries and the need for a swift reprisal." he rasped.

"They both were unable to kill one freighter captain? Or was the inelegance wrong and there was an escort of considerable size?" the gun toting Alexander questioned as his eyes flickered with interest. His steel eyes sparkled softly as he contemplated the failing of the two star pilots.

"There was no escort... and I suspect the pilot was already dead when our forces reached the freighter."

"Another group wanted the mech and girl?" Sin questioned in his soft and placidly icy voice.

"One who was able to take command of greydramon... The mech is still a hatchling, but it was enough to keep angel and demon busy. Then it would seem the hybrid allied herself with the pilot. Together they were more then our forces could handle..." Sin suddenly shot up and gaped at ishida. The blond commander winced lightly as he caught a glint of the overwhelming evil behind those eyes. He did not recoil, though a part of him was afraid.

"She... allied herself with a human pilot...." he gaped.

"Yes...."

"That can't be possible.... she would never side with a human." He suddenly became aware of his tone and adjusted it back to the downplayed voice and averted eyes that he had previously displayed.

"Digital hybrids hate humans.... the female would never affiliate herself with one."

"Your knowledge of hybrids has in the past been unnaturally accurate. But on this you are mistaken. This girl is more then just a digital hybrid... she is a reincarnated digidestined." the others sobered in shock as he rasped out to them. all was silent for a time, but in the end it was shard who spoke. He spoke in a uncharacteristically silenced tone.

"Which of the female digidestined is she?"

"Sora...."

"This.... complicates matters. A digidestined hybrid has never been encountered... but it is feasible that she would be much more powerful. But still the idea that a hybrid could Allie herself with a human is unthinkable." he spoke more to himself then to the other two. Ishida's eyes darkened.

"The identity of the pilot may be the cause of that...but I am not ready to speculate who was piloting the greydramon..." he paused for a moment before continuing.

"Though inopportune, this may bring forth an opportunity to flush out some of the more troublesome thorns in our sides. The greydramon and the girl will flush out an old friend... a friend who would pose a treat to our efforts if given time. A very long time ago i was taught that even in defeat there is victory. Though our prizes have slipped through our grasps this time, there is still a hope at salvaging victory.

I have sent Intruder to the dead planet in pursuit of the greydramon. Should our prey take the bait then he can be quite useful at infiltration and assassination." ishida smirked.

"Using the intruder cyborg? I think that may be a bit overkill." Alexander commented as he subconsciously fingered the silvery handle of his buster held on his left hip.

"Don't underestimate a man who can with the trust of a hybrid and the partnership of the greydramon." ishida grinned faintly with some dark pleasure in the core of his being. There was a strange sense of anticipation for the coming of this enemy. A hope that he would be more then they were capable of predicting. Some deeply rooted love for a challenge of massive perportune.

"Why were we summoned sir?" Sin questioned in his hissing, silent voice.

"Once intruder makes contact with the targets he will signal us. I want a team ready to destroy greydramon and capture the hybrid. The two of you shall lead this assault. With Alex leading the mechs and Sin dropping in to deal with hand to hand resistance."

"Sir... why do we need him for this mission? He isn't even a mech pilot..." Alex question in regards to Sin who turned to him and scowled. He glanced up to ishida who gave a quick nod. Sin smirked as he lay his pale hand over the taller boy's shoulders. The reaction was instantaneous.

Alex became white as a sheet as thousands of black veins materialized just beneath the surface of his skin. He gaged out a cry for help that came out as no more then a toad's boisterous croak. The pale youth barley seemed aware of the young pilot as his life force was drained away. It was as though the touch were able to take something from him, and upon that something's disappearance there was a profound cold left like a frost in the void. The world was darkening to pitch just as the boy released his prey. He crumbled to the floor gasping for breath as the color slowly filtered back into him.

"You see you will not just be fighting a mech, but also a hybrid. Sin is a interesting human with a considerable talent for some of the ancient ways. Tao magic... Ancient skills that humans have in the past been able to master. He is a prodigy of that art from what i know... and the ability to steal life force makes him invaluable when neutralizing a hybrid which has a lethal amount of life force. As you are now feeling Alex.... there is more to combat then mechs."

"If you will excuse me sir.... i wish to retire for the evening." Sin stated as he stepped over the wheezing pilot.

"Very well. Good night." and with that the young demon departed.

  
  


"S..sir.. Can we really put our trust in something like him. He scares the shit out of me." alex commented as he rose to his feet. And wobbly took refuge by leaning against a wall.

"He is a youth of considerable power, but do not question that he is nothing to me. I have seen far worse then that little display. He will not dare cross me..." ishida rasped as he sat down in his plush chair of black leather.

"Tell me alex... why is it that you follow me in this? I have learned that no one with skill will work for only a pay check nowadays. They all have their own objectives.... their own ambitions. But i was wondering what it was that you wanted from me? Power? Prestige?"

"I wish only to serve you till you see fit to reward me with what i seek."

"And what is it you seek of me?"

"Forgive my insolence sir, but i desire the benefit of your wisdom... you bear the mark of an eternal... a being who has learned for centuries. I seek your help in locating the three...."

"Ah... so you seek the three knights of fire. You belong to that ancient religion."

"Yes sir... "

"Such an original religion. A faith of mech pilots who want to be like the original three. To live under the same code of honor and discipline that has existed since the days of king Arthur. A code that was upheld by three pilots of godlike power." ishida smirked with an almost mocking tone.

"Sir... you say that everyone who serves you wants something... what is it that Sin wants?" he questioned meekly with a deep fear for what the answer may be, but the compulsion to know. Ishida looked into his eyes with an amused smile shimmering in the crystalline pools.

"He wants death. Whatever gives him his strength, wants death... lots of it. That youth is a killer of the likes that has not existed on earth for a very long time. Once every few generations there comes a monster of a man who delights in death. A psychotic. This generation seems to be swimming with them.... but i would place him pretty high in the running.... i don't sense any soul in that boy... just an evil.... but we all have evil within us."

"Not me sir... err... forgive my disagreement. I meant you no disrespect.

"Oh please... how dull the centuries would be without controversies. Never apologize for that... it's all that keeps you from being a mindless drone like a surrogate. But tell me Alexander.... once i tell you where the knights are now, what is it that you will do?"

"It is said that any pilot who possesses sufficient strength and honor may challenge one of the three knights. If i defeat that knight i may take their place in godhood. I could become one of the three... such a prize would be worth any cost...."

"Your faith is your own matter alex... but serve me well and i will tell you who they are, and where to find them. However i doubt you will be able to become a god..."

"It's not my place to speculate. But even to die at the hands of one of the three would be the pinnacle of my existence. But for now i pledge my loyalty to you. If i serve you well, that is the reward i desire. But give it only when you feel i have earned it." he gave a half salute as he too turned and departed through the doorway.

"Faith... Heh. let him serve me, and then perhaps he may try his hand at godhood. However... in the end all that remains eternal are the chosen. If he wants to think that he can become one of us simply by killing one of us, then he will find it a fruitless endeavor, and most likely a lethal one. 

Let the cattle believe what they will... in the end they all will be slaughtered like cattle." ishida smiled as he turned away to the darkness which loomed in deep silent space.

  
  
  
  
  
  


*********

  
  


Tai lay there on his bed of earth in the darkest sleep of his life. He could feel within him a difference. A splinter of something that had not been there before. Maybe it was a part of greydramon... or maybe a part of sora... or perhaps it was something of the ancient taichi who had awakened as the young assassin had become a partner to a digimon again. The memories were vague within him, but he did sensed something evolving within his core.

Though still locked in that deathlike sleep in which he now lay, he was in a way awake enough to think. He could feel sora's presence had left him. That troubled him on some levels, for it was possible she had left him for good. He doubted it though.

He had slipped through countless bouts of almost being conscious, though he did try to cling to the vague glimmer of light within the darkness around him, it would always slip away.

He was able to hear the faint whale song of the greydramon in the back of his mind. the song of an animal with limitless capacity for war, yet an unbridled beauty that came outward in the soft surreal chords of this song without words. Tai drifted back into deeper unconsciousness to this tune.

The world of shadow suddenly came alive as he listened to a new voice. It was no more audible then a faint murmur at first, but as he found himself drawn nearer and nearer to the voice he could make it out better. It was sora's voice gently coaxing him out of the unconsciousness that held him. He opened his eyes to find the sky now a dark inky sea of clouds which hung with only the faintest silver cast upon them from the ivory crescent moon. Sora was hovering above him with a look on her face that almost mirrored concern.

She helped him to a sitting poison by leaning him against a crumbling wall of brick. It was only now that taichi became aware of a change in position. They were now inside a crumbled building. Through his hazy eyes he could see that the roof had been blown off long ago.. The floor was relatively clean, though being stone, it offered no warmth. In fact it seemed to hold the cold and deposit it directly into the still weakened taichi's core. He glanced to his left to find upturned pews that lay partially intact and partially splintered.

"You brought us to earth? Last time you pick the date...." he rasped through his parched throat and swollen tongue.

"Watch your mouth human... i was born on this planet." she used the _"H word"_ but not with the same malice she had shown him before. He would almost call it a playful tone, yet he hadn't known sora long enough to tell where the line lay between playful and dangerous. Her face glowed of the faintest moonlight which came down over them like sheets of pale ivory. Her eyes glowed in the dark with the same luminance of a cat's amber eyes. Tai found it strange how the qualities about her that were not human were just as alluring as those that were. There were parts of her that mirrored some feline, while other traits seemed vaguely reptilian or of another more alien breed. But it was all this that linked together to form sora. 

His vision was still blurred as he came to see more depth to the darkened cavernous church. They were alone, and seemingly safe. Taichi moved too quickly and was suddenly made aware of his fragile state. His hand clutched his chest as the bolts of pain crackled through each last nerve.

"Be careful... you almost died in that fight... your ribs are in bad shape and the neural stress of the joining and battle were almost more then your neural system could take. it's a miracle you were able to live through that.... " she commented as she began rummaging through a fabric pouch she had acquired somewhere during tai's unconsciousness. 

"It feels like the miracle would have been if i didn't wake up to this kinda pain... it's like every cell in my body is sore." sora smirked in triumph as she withdrew a strip of brownish meat that was sunbaked to jerky. Tai didn't even know how hungry he was until he had the meat in his hands and then to his gnashing teeth. It was very flavored, yet as he ripped the strips of meat away with his teeth their flavor was muddled to a fraction of what he felt it should be. 

"You put yourself through a lot of abuse tai... more then most of your kind could have survived."

"Sora... you are part digimon... maybe you could explain something i felt when i was partnered to greydramon...." she looked at him and nodded slightly.

"It was all so overwhelming.... the feeling of being part of something so powerful... merged almost to the soul... but when i..." he paused as he gathered his words. "But when i was merged i felt like i could go deeper into it then i did. Like i needed to merge deeper...." he trailed off as sora's eyes turned off to the darkness of the abandoned church.

"Digimon mechs are much like digimon in many ways. They partner with humans.... but they are now part machines... capable of going deeper then the old breed of digimon ever could. A pilot can sometimes merge to the third level... where they actually become one in soul. This can only be done between certain pilots and certain mechs. But even if you can.... you must never do that taichi." she looked so grave.

"Why?"

"Even though the mech and pilot become much stronger, they are no longer able to separate. They blend souls.... if their physical forms are separated the digimon and the human will perish. No getting around it... no chance... never try it taichi." 

"Alright... i promise" he was lost in a world that hung on the outskirts of his contemplation. In one day he had been thrust into this maddening new world of hybrids and mechs and all that lies between. He felt, once again, that this was a one way trip. That he would never again return to his apartment or to the bar. He would likely never again be an assassin. Sora would be hunted.... and for him to keep her in his life he would have to protect and hide her away.

Hybrids can live in deep space... she could make a home on the earth, or on some asteroid that floats in the depth of space. He was however not a hybrid. He would never be able to live with her in space, and odds are the radiation of earth would eventually kill him. The world had changed so suddenly that his head spun. In some ways the darkness had grown eternal, while in other ways the light had finally appeared.

Tai pushed the thoughts of this world aside as he took another mouthful of the meat which he suddenly questioned. "Hey sora.. Where did you get this? It's not like there are any stores on this rock." she chuckled softly.

"You might want to ask this first... 'do i really want to know where sora could have gotten fresh meat on a dirt-ball like this planet?'" she smirked. Tai smiled weakly as he looked away from the meat and off into the eternal darkness of the church. He felt sora draw closer to him and lean herself against his shoulder. She withdrew another slab of meat, which appeared more raw and reddened. Tai averted his eyes from her as she began to tear off chunks of meat with her enlarged teeth. She made contented little sounds as she showed off some of her more digimon qualities.

Tai smiled at the oddness of his life. Here he was hiding from an army with his stolen war machine and genetically engineered monster girlfriend with a taste for raw meat. Life was strange.. That he had no question of us he bit off another bite of his cooked meat while sora mauled hers.

  
  


The darkness of the church loomed around them and rendered them all but invisible to any other stalker. Upon the tattered skeletal roof the intruder crouched with a catlike grace. It was cloaked in shadow and hidden from any passing glance. 

The being was sleek with a body of plated steel. It's face had no features, just a indented steel plate that resembled the shrouded hood of death. It looked almost like a skull of shadows as it stared down on them. it appeared muscular, though all was mearly modeled after the human it once was. Intruder was the prototype of a new breed of surrogate... one not made for mechs. Intruder was designed for death and infiltration. This was clearly shown by the massive sabers on each forearm. They gleamed with demonic indignation in the faint moonlight's pale kiss.

The intruder stood there in the garb of shadow and night watching the two as they huddled together on the aged stone wall of the dank church. His objectives were all too clear...

he signaled ishida.

  
  


*********

  
  


Their proximity had grown even closer after they ate. Sora was now resting in his lap with his arms entwined around her waist. She smelled sweet to him as they sat there in the darkened corner of the old church. She had been quiet for a time after the meal, but that silence had melted away as if in response to some unseen stimuli. She had suddenly began talking to him in a personal manor. She asked about his home on the colony, his friends who she soon discovered were nonexistent. She surprised him with the depth of her interest and capacity to be so human. He didn't tell her that of corse, but still marveled at it.

"Do you have any memories from before you were taken by the scientists with the X project?" he questioned with a gingerness to the line of questioning, and the feelings it may conger up. Her eyes grew sad as she thought back through a childhood of experimentation.

"My kind have a memory that is different from yours. You can only remember things from your own life... but i can remember things from my own genetic code. It's called cellular memory... i think it's all that kept me from losing my mind."

"I don't think i understand."

"I can remember bits and pieces from my parent's lives, and even tinier shreds from the lives of my parent's parents. That's how i know what i am and what the world looks like. I can remember shreds of my own kind... i know my parents by their own memories... those fragments of memory were all i had for so long... it was the memory of their lives that gave me hope... a reason to live too, in the chance that someday i could see the things they saw in their lives." there was a sadness in her eyes as she stared off into the world that she could remember but no longer see. It occurred to taichi that she had lived so long from the memory of what the world was... but that memory was dated, and now the world was a different place. He took her hand.

"You are disappointed..." he stated stupidly as he squeezed her hand.

"In some ways yes... the earth was a nicer place from the memories... but there is one pleasant surprise i have found. You. I had no idea there were people like you taichi... you're a human, but a special one..." she nuzzled his neck in a canine show of affection that tai bashfully mimicked back. 

"You mean that?"

"Yeah....." tai slowly leaned over and kissed sora's neck gently. It was not as much born of passion as it was a tenderness that had been missing from both of their two lives. Sora gave a faint rosy blush as tai pulled away. It was technically her first kiss. They sat in silence before sora spoke with a sudden uneasiness to her normally pronounced voice.

"You know about my childhood... what was yours like?" she questioned.

"It began like a lot of others. My parents were two teenagers who didn't have enough money for contraceptives, i never knew them really. They abandoned me when i was very little.

i was born on the street and lived there till i was six. I stole what i ate and ran with a gang of kids who were basically hoodlums. It was a very unoriginal life... i saw kids murdered in the gangs, some got sick and died, others overdosed, but most ended up dead at the hands of a rival gang or a security officer who was thinning out the population of parasites.

It was a hard life, but i was pretty decent at surviving in it. I had this talent for killing people then... at five i had some kind of sixth sense at where to smack someone with a pipe to shatter their skull. I suppose that was because i was a digidestined... killing is second nature.

There were people... they would come into the slums with stun weapons... they took some of us.. To be sold. When i was six they took me." tai paused as he alleviated the faint quiver of fear in his voice. Sora said nothing about it for it was obviously a symptom of a few very bad memories.

"They piled us together in vans where we were left for a few days without food or water. Chained together with no room to breath. It was so dark and scary... it smelled of sweat, urine, and crap. I think some of us died in the vans, some must have. It was as close to hell as i have ever come.. Feeling this tightness around your chest as you struggle for air. Tword the end it started smelling like death... we were in there so long that we got used to the urine smell. But the smell of death was too much... there was blood on the ground i remember...it was too dark to see, but it smelled like dead flesh and was sticky. Even now the feel of blood on my skin makes me want to puke." he looked up to sora's eyes and felt her touch on his cheek.

"After a while they finally pulled us out. i remember that it was all a blur. It was so bright outside from being in pitch black. I remember being half awake as i ran and stumbled away onto the sandy ground. They must have loaded us onto a transport freighter without even taking us out of the van. 

Later i found out that they were slave traders. They take kids from the gangs and sell them. Some of them were bought as servants, others would become toys for some of the sickos out there, and a very rare percentage would be bought by a corporation known as Manticon." he paused.

"Manticon is a corporation that trains Mercs. It buys them young and uses gene therapy and extensive training to bring out the best in human potential. Or the worst. They make assassins and soldiers to sell out for private use. Mercenaries for hire. Trained to be the most scary sons of bitches out there. That's part of their charm.

Hand to hand techniques, advanced weapon training, explosive training, infiltration, assassination. They are the best soldiers for hire... and their primary weapon is a retractable hand scythe that lives up to the fearful nature of the unit. They chose a scythe to live up to the mantis image that Manticon perpetuates. A bug that assassinates with scythe-like appendages.

I was taken by them... trained for ten years to be an assassin, a killer. I was one of their best, being what they wanted came naturally to me... i raised myself in rank until i was their second best. Topped only by an older cadet who became my friend. My best friend."

"What was his name tai?" she asked with genuine interest and a faint smile on her face. the smile was quick to pale.

"Yamato ishida" he spoke as though the word were as cold as ice. It froze to icy vapor upon the air, and chilled deeply as it fell upon sora's ears. she stated blankly still in the shock of it all.

"We were friends.... brothers in a way. But i hated my life at Manticon. Something within me told me that it was wrong to take life like that. Not to protect life, or even an ideal. But for money... that seemed so wrong to me.

I started thinking about escape... before they used me to kill like that... to assassinate. I had it all planned out... i would cripple their security matrix and open all the locks through the computer system. They would all be in such a panic that they wouldn't notice if i were gone... i set it all up and was ready to go... but i forgot something." he paused as he chewed his lip lightly.

"I couldn't let matt become what they wanted him to be... he was too good a person to become a murderer... so after i crippled them. i came back for matt." sora lay her hand on Taichi's as if she could sense where this was going. He began to speak as his mind drifted back.

  
  


*********

  
  


The younger taichi raced through the corridors of the military fortress known as Manticon. His footfalls fell like thunderous war drums over the steel floor. The halls were bathed in flame-red light from the flashing warning lights. The air was blistering as the vents belched hot air as a random malfunction caused by the hacking of their controls. It had been taichi's goal to cause as much chaos as he could. The more that was chaotic, the less they would pay attention to him.

He rounded a corner and found himself in the barracks. The alarm which screamed around them was silenced only by the infinitely louder hammering of his own heart. He skidded as he collided with the wall and began work on the locking mechanism. It fell quickly to him and he burst through the threshold and into yamato's quarters.

The blond was sitting on his bed with a look of astonishment on his crystalline blue eyes. He stared at taichi in a complete stupor. He tried to speak but found his words no more then shuddering syllables. Tai sensed the need for speed and thus spoke for him.

"Matt! We need to get moving fast... they will be looking for me as soon as they find out i was the one who crashed their systems. We have got to get to the shipping bay before they think this is a breakout!" he yelled loudly as he implored yamato with his need for urgency. He suddenly rushed to matt and took the boy's arm in a half attempt to pull him to his feet, matt came to his feet but didn't budge any further.

Tai begged him to run before it was too late for them.

He did move as he pushed tai's hand away.

"Please tell me you didn't do this..." he said through his almost musically smooth and clear voice.

"They are turning us into killers... murderers.. We can't let them. of corse i am breaking us out!" the younger boy beamed with an unnatural pride for his actions, as though he knew definitively that this was the only right act.

"Taichi! How could you... you have broken so many orders! Every regulation manticon has! My god! Do you know what they will do to you for this!?! you have to be insane!" he yelled with a panicky fear in his perfectly blue eyes.

"Matt this is wrong. Fuck manticon! To hell with their plans for us! Come with me brother! We have to get out before they come!" he took matt's arm as the boy looked down.

He said nothing.

"Jesus matt! COME ON!!!"

"Traitor...." the low, crystal clear voice came. It was a punch to tai's stomach as he stepped back in shock.

"But matt..."

"You are a disgrace to manticon taichi... you are a traitor to all we stand for. Surrender yourself and we may be merciful. Persist in escape will be met with lethal force."

"Matt.." tai whispered as the tears welled in his eyes. He backed away and felt himself pressed against the cold metal wall back in the corridor, matt stared out at him from within his room. His eyes were jagged shards of ice that gouged tai's flesh to goose bumps and cold sweat. Tai had never thought that matt was happy in this life, or that he would choose manticon over his "brother"

his mind reeled louder then the alarm could dare match. He was betrayed and afraid and knew only that he had to escape, not just from the soldiers who would punish his escape attempt, but from the deeper wound that yamato had delivered upon him.

Tai ran faster then he ever had before. Grief and fear had mingled to adrenaline and that had fueled tai's escape. He ran down the corridors that were becoming more hot with each second. The alarms screamed all the louder as did the thunderous tolling of his heart and footfalls over hot metal. It was due to this sound that he was unaware of the second set of footsteps which were following behind.

Tai had made it to the shipping bay which had been spared from the chaos. The ravens were docked in perfect running order for the flight training exercises that would be conducted in the morning. Tai had planned it all, but it wasn't going according to the plan anymore. There would have been a second escapee, but that was a waste now. The second raven that would be used now sat in the ready position for a pilot who would not be coming.

He began the final programming for his escape flight with a feverish need for speed. His fear was swelling like a red tide within him. Too much was ad-lib now. There was no second man to provide cover while the computations were input. He was vulnerable.

He had just entered the final computation when he heard the sound he had heard so often before during training. It was a hellishly clear noise that was far too familiar. The sound of metal against metal followed by a click which locked the pieces into place. 

Tai leapt back as the console was split in half by the downward swing of a hand scythe. His eyes shot up to the deadly visage of yamato. Tai backed away.

"Matt?"

"I will make you pay for betraying manticon." he growled as he drew back the scythe again. He cut the air with a whistle of metal. Tai evaded the blow, yet was stung as the weapon glided across his chest in a faint cut that seemed more a prelude to deeper blows.

Taichi cried out in pain as matt continued swiping at him wit the weapon. The weapon landed more often then not, but due to taichi's efforts the cuts were never as deep as they had been meant. Tai leapt aside as the weapon slashed through the steel wall as though it were tissue. The fight was leaving the room in tattered spires of jagged steel. Thankfully taichi had managed to keep the enraged assassin away from the ships. His only way out.

"Please matt stop!" tai called out as his friend kicked him across the room with un-natural power. The blond roared as he drew up his scythe again. His eyes were burning with sapphire light augmented by tears which could be either of sorrow or hate.

"Manticon gave me purpose taichi. I'll kill you for betraying them!" he cried out as clearly as ice. He rushed forward with his scythe drawn upward, ready to kill tai. He screamed with rage as he prepared to meet flesh with his scythe's razor's kiss. 

Tai pulled out the scythe and flipped it open with a metalic snarl. The weapon snapped into place as tai moved under a power he didn't know. It was as though he were a piece on a chess board being moved by a will that exceeded his own. he shot forward upon the advancing matt and with a shriek of anguish and grief he slashed outward with the scythe.

All fell silent. As silent as a tomb. Tai's eyes were squeezed shut as he clutched tightly to the weapon's grip. His knuckles were white as he felt the wetness spread over his bare hands. The liquid had a distinctive texture that tai could remember from a thousand nightmares. He looked down at his hands and began wiping them off on his pants with a expression of horror. They were painted red. All he could think of was getting the blood off of his skin. He could feel it permeating him. He wanted to vomit as he suddenly thought about where this blood had come from. Before he was unaware of yamato... but now his feverish mind flew tword a faint gurgling sound.

His eyes went wide as he turned to where matt stood several feet away. He was pale as a ghost with the exception of his throat which was painted with wet crimson. His shirt was now colored with blood as he stared back at tai with a look of disbelief. He still held his own scythe in his left hand while he clutched the gaping wound with his right. The blood was spilling over his fingers as he continued to stare at tai.

Taichi's eyes were wide with horror and shock. He had not expected to actually beat matt. He hadn't wanted to hurt him. It was all sick luck that made matt step against tai's weapon instead of away from it.

"Matt!?" tai croaked as the blond fell to his knees in a pool of liquid red. He was staring at tai with shock as he released his throat. He changed then. Just for a moment, but something flashed behind his eyes. It was like heat lightning flaring within a blue sky. Tai was shocked by the image of his "brother" as he looked up again as a new person. Something dark had flashed within him as he met death.

That thought scared the shit out of tai as he looked back into those demon eyes. Touching death had given something from beyond a chance to take residence in the body for that moment before his death. Tai was frozen by the sound of boots on the metal far off in the complex. They were coming. He willed himself to move for the raven. But his progress was halted by yamato.

  
  


"Be seeing you soon..." he gurgled through a wet and ragged voice. Tai turned to see him fall face first into the puddle of his own blood. It splashed outward in little beads as the scythe slipped from his slack grip.

Tai turned for the raven and was almost to the cockpit when he was stopped by a new voice. It was clear and commanding.

"Stop! Turn slowly!" the security had found him. He complied and was met by the cannon-like pulse rifles of the manticon officers. He was overcome by a swell of hopelessness. He had come so close to escape... but paid such a cost. They walked over yamato with no regard to him. They left footprints in the pool of crimson as they advanced closer to him.

Tai was almost theirs when he caught something out of the corner of his eye. Movement. his chocolate eyes froze as the puddle of blood began to boil like red foam in a crimson sea. The soldiers didn't see it... they were all focusing on taichi even as the corpse moved.

Death was fast as a falcon for them. The dead matt sprung forward with a wet roar of a word without meaning. He had punched through the leading soldier's back and into the warmth within. The young officer shrieked in pain and terror as he was lifted off the ground by his spine. His scream was cut off.

Tai cried out in shock as he pressed against the raven. The demon ishida had moved onto the next. He now was gripping his scythe again. Tai couldn't recall when he picked it up. But now the weapon had sliced through the next officer. they were too shocked to fight back at first. More then enough of an advantage. 

One soldier finally pulled up the weapon and began firing. His shots were dodged by inhuman speed as matt leapt through the air and repelled from a wall to one of the beams in the ceiling. The soldier continued firing, but by the time he caught on to where matt was the blond was already descending upon him in a free-fall with scythe out.

Tai managed to regain enough control to scramble into the cockpit. The craft began powering up as tai frantically prepared to fly. Ishida turned to face him with a dark hunger in his cold eyes. His throat was no longer bleeding, but instead scabbed over. He defied death.

The demon boy began running for the raven, and despite his speed, the jets picked up at just the last second and flung tai away, through the open hanger door. He was sure matt had cut a piece of the tail off , if not clung on to it. He would be there clinging to the hull and climbing across the frame to get tai.

As tai glanced back through the rear monitors he was relieved to see the tail intact and the rapidly vanishing form of Ishida, still within the hanger. He was looking at tai until the black craft vanished. Never had tai known a feeling as horrifying as seeing his brother painted in blood staring out for him like a wolf from the other side of the fence. 

His words came again from within tai's terrified mind. 

  
  


"be seeing you soon...."

  
  


*********

"I remember the last thing i saw before manticon blew was another raven flying off. Matt must have somehow ignited the jet fuel in the shipping bay.. I don't know how he did it.. But he killed them all. Matt was loyal to manticon... but the demon killed them all. Then used the second raven to escape.

I escaped to the colony and became what i was trained to be. I gave up on any dream of peace and decided it was my place to be what manticon had wanted... a killer.

From time to time i would hear about commander ishida. He was amassing bodies on his road to taking control over the colonies. I have made it a point to stay away from him since then. I stuck to a slum colony and never took jobs that would get in his way.... until i was tricked into it by a guy named koshiro..." he growled lightly.

"That little bastard must have set this up so i would be in ishida's way. Made me an enemy so i become their ally. Smart move, but I'll break that little guy's arm for it. I don't like being used.... especially against a demon." he said the last part with no levity in his voice. He believed that matt was some devil as surely as he believed in the air he now breathed.

"Tai... matt is a digidestined. No one really knows what happens when a digidestined awakens. It is possible that the change in matt was triggered by having his throat cut. Also that he was healed by the power that makes us remember our past lives. He isn't a monster." sora looked into taichi's eyes as he spoke with a grim tone.

"Yes... he is." tai replied darkly.

"Every life he takes is my fault. Everything he has done since manticon i will be held accountable for. He is a monster sora... the things he does couldn't be done by any human..."

"Humans kill, taichi... they do evil for pleasure. I am starting to think that you are not really a human because you seem to be the last of your kind that can do good too. Maybe there was a time when people were really good at heart. But i think that they just allowed evil to take root. If you accept something for too long then it will grow into something worse." sora paused as she looked at tai.

"But maybe there is hope for them. you are a human, unfortunately, and you seem to be immune to the disease of your kind. Maybe that means that there is still a chance the evil can be cut back. That the roots haven't dug in so deeply that they can't be pulled out." she was talking more to herself now then to taichi.

"Maybe there is hope?" she questioned him as she turned to face him. He stared at her for a moment. She was like no other to taichi. Something pulled him to her as a moth might long for a flame's amber light. Moths die when they embrace flame. They are incinerated in the passionate burning light that they long to touch. Tai was aware of the parallel to himself with sora. He was a moth, and like a moth he no longer cared that loving her would result in him being no more then ash in the candle's light. He needed her and wanted her in a way that set him ablaze.

He leaned forward and kissed her. not a chaste peck or a soft kiss either. He pressed his mouth to her deeply with a hunger that had grown within him for as long as he had lived. Sora's eyes went wide as she froze under his lips. 

She had never been touched like this. She saw humans do this, a show of affection and a prelude to mating. She was shocked by taichi's actions as it would seem he wished to breed with her. it took a moment for her to remember that humans were strange animals and that this action was just another weird human ritual. But it came so naturally to her.

She had no memory of being kissed like this. Of being kissed at all. And yet she knew how as though it were part of her. her body knew how to respond to taichi and she was amazed as she allowed her eyes to slip shut and deepen the kiss.

They were suddenly one being as their lips pressed against the other's. All the world had faded to a blur of color and warmth so real that it seemed more a sea of sensation that had washed over them like foamy waves from the sea to the shore. Sora was lost in the same sea as taichi. They were both vaguely aware of half spoken murmurs and the feel of fabric gripped tightly in clammy hands. Clothing was soon piled upon the stone floor which was now warm beneath them. the world had blurred away to no more then sensation. The texture of taichi's hair in sora's hands. The warm breath that was puffed out through sora's partially open mouth in company with a low and pleasant moan.

Sora had lived in a shell of glass and steel all her life. Locked away in a prison without sensation. Taichi had condemned himself to isolation from the world as punishment for yamato. They had both been denied the pleasures shared only by the living, and it was only now that they had started living. They were free to feel the world for the first time now. They had escaped their hunters so far, and only now did they revel in their freedom.

Maybe making love had complicated matters for the worst in the long run. It would be considered in some ways a reaffirmation of life in the face of all the death and danger they had endured. And maybe this need for companionship would prove a mistake. Separation would now be impossible to survive by either of the two. But they didn't care anymore. They were not alone now. That was all that they could prey for. They were addicted to the other and vice-versa. 

Lost in each other's touch. Moth to a flame.

  
  
  
  


*********

  
  


They lay there together in a warmth which radiated between them. their skin was moist with perspiration as each hand glided over the other's moist touch. Sora murmured softly as she kissed tai gently on his exposed neck.. Tai was half awake and half asleep as he slowly stroked sora's damp hair. He was, for the first time, content. He had a soft smile on his thin lips as he felt sora gently shift closer to him.

Their hands linked as he glanced downward to meet her shimmering ruby eyes. She was looking up at him with a strange and unreadable expression on her tender face. he looked at her with unsurity if that face meant regret or discontent. It was so lovely and yet so fragile. Like the face of a china doll which is brittle like a paper-thin sheet of ceramic. All was still for seemingly hours until the shell broke and she flung herself against him in a tight hug. Her face was buried against him and he felt the warmth of tears spread against his skin. He didn't understand why she felt the need to cry, in fact he was almost certain it was the first time she had ever engulfed in such a human act, but he held her as she did.

An hour later her tears were gone and something else had welled up within the hybrid. She was different in a way he couldn't fully understand. It was like something had died away within her. The lump of malignant hatred had dissolved somehow. It was now smaller, and in its absence something good had flowed up like a spring of cool and clear water from the depths of the earth. He looked at her as she lay there with her hair of liquid fire cascading over her bare back. He could see the change within, and even though it was nothing more then a small step tword something better then human or hybrid, she was closer.

The moment was shattered by the shrill whistle that was vaguely reminiscent of a plane flying through the low atmosphere. But this was louder. It was a dull whine of metal as it plummets downward through the thin air. To confirm their fears, they looked up to see the darkened sky which was illuminated by the distant burning embers which were mechs making planet fall. Their armored flesh glowed of reds and whites as the friction from entry to earth's atmosphere lit them up like the distant lights of candle flames in the darkness.

There were five that dropped downward in a free fall that ended with a whoosh of blue thruster flame. Their descents slowed as they corrected their trajectory tword the run-down church. They were still a ways off, but getting closer fast. The mechs were rocketing forward at attack speed which was proof that they knew the location of their quarry.

  
  


"Tai! They know where we are!" sora yelled as she threw her cloak back on. Tai was frantically fumbling with his cloths while hopping around, trying to get into his boot. He succeeded at record breaking speed with pants and boots. He was clutching his shirt as he ran to where he felt greydramon. The dragon was crying out to him through the strange link they shared. The mech sensed that there was danger coming and that his partner must be fast.

"How the hell did they find us on this rock? There's so much surface area on this planet. It's impossible they could know!" he yelled as sora passed him. She had withdrawn her wings and was now flying at his side with the grace of a current of air.

"I don't know. But we have got to get greydramon before they get here."

The mechs were closer now. Close enough to distinguish the large red winged form of the leader. It was red and black with four massive metalic wings. The creature was of the tyranomon breed, but this particular model was extremely powerful from a lifetime of battle. At its side flew four other tyranomon of darker coloration. The air around the five rippled outward with heat striations.

"Tai, get to greydramon and get over here. I'm going to see if i can slow them down." 

"No way sora. Those aren't surrogates with the big red one!"

"And if they get to us before you awaken greydramon we are dead for sure. Plus... i don't take orders from humans" she chuckled with dark humor. Tai wanted to try to stop her, but instead bit his lip and choked out "Take care Shara."

"I have faith in you taichi... get greydramon and we can deal with them together." and with that she was gone. Tai didn't dare glance back for fear that he would be too slow. He had to get to greydramon or sora was surely dead.

  
  


*********

Her wings were held closer to her body as she shot off in an attempt to intercept them farther away from greydramon. The wind was hot even though it was still night. Her hair whipped violently in the maelstrom of wind against her face like hundreds of tiny whips. She focused herself on the coming threat. Summoning up every ounce of the animalistic power within she felt her teeth elongate into sharpened canines.

She could see them perfectly clearly now. As her hands dropped to her sides. Crackling tendrils of energy filled her grips as she pulled more power tword herself. The energy focused itself to a pair of glowing orbs of dark flame. Her eyes were now glowing a flame red as she shot tword them even faster. Summoning up the hatred she felt for them as humans and for their intentions to kill her mate and cage her, the fury grew like swollen rivers, feeding power into the dark orbs which sizzled in her grips.

She stopped short of the oncoming mechs with a jerky halt. As she slammed to a stop her arms flew forward, releasing the two orbs which exploded out at the coming foes. They were calm like the eye of a hurricane until they came within rage, then the storm broke. Sheets of burning energy exploded outward. The tyranomon mech shot upward at an impressive ark to avoid the blast while his compatriots scattered like a flock of large black crows. The blast was swirling around them in a dervish of lightning and swirling fiery tongues which consumed and merged with eachother on the dark winds of the blast's radius.

Sora flew straight into the clouds of spectral fire where she summoned up another blast which was more in the shape of a beam rather then an explosive blast. The lance of energy nearly hit one of the crow-like enemies, but was dodged in the nick of time. It flew past the enemy and off into the night. He counter-attacked with a blast of his own. it was not as energy based as sora's. His was more fire then that. Sora charged the beam with a roar of passionate anger. She drew her wing up and reflected the blast. It burst upon her silvery wing in a eruption of orange and white sparks. The mech drew back in shock as the enraged hybrid shot up at him through the spinning planets of fiery ash and embers.

He drew his hands up in a defensive block as sora fell upon him with slashing claws. These models were built stronger then most, but given time she would claw her way through the mech's arms and into the cockpit where the human morsels hid. He tried reversing away, but sora was moving with him. She suddenly cried out in pain as she was knocked off of him.

She spun in a somersault of a fall until she righted herself and hovered there in shock. Her ribs were burning with pain as she watched the red tyranomon retract a large whip cable back into his arm. It glowered down on her through a large robotic snout that looked like a dragon. The darker mechs flew to the leader's side seeking some degree of protection, or perhaps just to draw upon the confidence of their leader who stood there with no visible fear.

The mech waved it's clawed hand in a mocking greeting. Then it charged. The red tyranomon shot forward like a crimson comet as it collides with earth. Sora was stunned by the mech's speed as it slammed into her, throwing her back. Her head shot up as she licked the blood from her lips.

"Who are you?" she growled, aware that the mech would be able to pick up her voice and feed it to the pilot within.

"My name is Alex. You are a lucky monster sora, most people don't get my full attention. But it would seem commander ishida has requested the pleasure of your company. I trust you remember him?" the voice echoed from the mech.

"Yeah i do remember him...." she growled as she whipped her cut lip again.

"The real treat is that he didn't have a preference as to whether you attend alive or dead. I decided on dead, so if it's all the same to you... lets just get to the fun part of this." there was a smirk in his voice as he drew back again. The four attacked first. Sora met them with agility perfected by adrenaline. She was doing well at avoiding them, but sadly they were working as a team. That gave the advantage of being able to overwhelm her. The fifth hung back and watched as sora repelled the four gifted pilots.

He was aware mainly of the fact that she was drawing energy as she fought. She was being sly about it, hiding it from the four pilots. It was a valid move since the four would not make it easy to go one on one with them. But she would not be allowed to take them. as sora was preparing to rain energy down upon them in a tide of destruction he stepped in. The thunder crackled through the nightly air in a low and mournful howl of energy. Sora had drawn her hands up which now were radiating with liquid energy. Her eyes were glowing with fire as she stared down upon the four who were held in place by chains of terror. They were good pilots... but never had they fought a hybrid of sora's class. She was more then most would dare engage.

She was a tempest of energy as her hair lashed in hot swirling winds. Thunder rolled around her like a tide of lightning as he body was swallowed up in a ruby light. It was now shocking to find that the four were no longer held in fear, but instead held by the force this girl was generating. The winds were pulling them back as they tried to flee.

The earth was rumbling as stones danced violently on the ancient blacktopped road of a long-unused highway. The sky was as black as tar, yet the faint fiery glow bathed the landscape in a hot red light. Sora was almost ready to unleash the blast when her attention was drawn to her left where the red tyranomon mech hovered feet away from her. she tried to call out but was silenced as the dragon's jaws opened.

From the open maw of the red dragon mech ribbons of flame erupted outward in streams of orange and white fire. Sora reeled back as she was swallowed up within the fire which exploded around her in a swirling cyclone of the blaze. Her attack exploded upward like a great pillar of energy into the heavens. The nightly clouds flashed red as sora's beam set them ablaze with that ruby light. She fell back as her hands covered her eyes. She was writhing against the fire as her wings flapped wildly to keep her aloft. 

She was falling when she regained control. The fire hurt her worse then she had been hurt in a long time. But she was able to come out of it without serious injury. They fell upon her even as she was falling. The black mechs rushed upon her with a hunger for retribution. The first slammed into the dazed hybrid with a shoulder rush. Sora groaned in pain as she fell straight into the next which met her with a swift kick to the small of her back..

Despite the pain she flew away with considerable speed, she didn't get as far as she had hoped. One of the mechs lashed her across her back with its whip appendage. The snake tendril seized her by the leg and hurled her back into the fray where the red tyranomon was waiting. Sora cried out in pain as she collided with the mech and was seized within its claws.. She moaned on the edge of consciousness as the tyranomon lowered its muzzle to her. the mech had glowing green eyes that snarled with a reptilian fury.

"Bastard" she spat. As the mech's jaws opened before her. there was a faint orange glow from within the depths of the mech's maw. She allowed her eyes to close as the blast erupted over her. she was hurtled down to the earth by the explosion of fire that burned and singed her. she was hurting badly, but knew that she could take worse. But that would be easily arranged once she was on the ground on the edge of conscious. They would all hammer her until she was nothing more then a red stain on the cursed earth's scorched ground.

She landed with a thud flat on her back. She was amazed by her survival. As she lay there her mind drifted beyond the ache which rippled up through her entire body to tai. She found the prospect of dying no longer a thing of release for her, as it once had been. She now had something she wanted. Her life showed promise of blossoming beyond doctors and labs, blossoming into a world she could share with the boy who bore the name of deliverer. Tai was deliverance to her, a way out of this shell of hate and cold... deliverance into life. But she would never know his world now... she would be killed and taken back to Ishida as a bloodied corpse. For whatever reason he wanted her it would be a disgrace to her memory. She didn't dare think of matt now. She would be dead soon enough and she wanted to keep the thought of tai in her heart for it's last beat.

His lips were so gentle on her own. his touch was so loving. He was a fighter but so much more then that. He was her deliverer, and she loved him for that. It was love... most human of emotion was now her own. she had doubted it existed for so long, yet now she knew it existed, for it existed within her for this one human boy. She was expecting the crushing blow to follow soon after impact. But instead she found it in a sound rather then the silent free fall.

The sound was a repeating crash of thunder that shook her to the cavity of her ribcage. It tolled again and again like the second hand of some massive cosmic pocket watch. The tolling grew louder as the thunder rolled across the heavens as a sonic set of breakers would upon the ocean. Her eyes were bloodshot and dazed as she willed them open.

The distant sky was showing signs of morning. A faint rosy hue painted the low-hanging clouds to the distant horizon of shadowy forgotten skyscrapers. No lightning rang out across the heavens, and yet the thunder tolled faster still. Now winds began to sweep across the dead earth from some distant point which Sora didn't even look to. She felt the sting of sand on her bare neck as she crawled to her feet and wobbly stood on the cracked earth. Her wings were held around her in a defensive embrace. Her body was already beginning to heal, but she would be dead before she was back to normal.

The black mech loomed before her as it landed on the earth with a thunderous crash. It was soon followed by a second and then a third. The fourth hung back with the red mech which had remained in the air. Sora stared tword the things with hatred as she listened to the thunder clash. But it occurred to her as the tolling roared and the winds kicked up even farther. The sounds and wind were growing louder and originating from behind her. she turned slowly and was frozen by the image that greeted her.

The Greydramon was half running and half flying across the earth. Its feet crashed against the stone earth like the distant call of thunder while the great skeletal wing's flapping had stirred up the gusting winds. The dragon was racing forward with such speed that it bore no mind to obstacles. The massive dragon crashed through buildings and plunged through obstructions with no apparent concern. The black mechs began a frantic effort of getting back. Too late.

Sora was stunned as the colossal dragon leapt over her and rebounded off the ground beyond her so as to take point and throw himself upon the prey. The massive dragon mech collided with a dark tyranomon who frantically tried to flee. But the greydramon's claws had dug in too deeply into the mech. Greydramon seized the mech and proceeded to pummel it with deep slashes and crushing blows. The tyranomon was growing too still under the crippling agony of greydramon's ministrations. Greydramon pinned it to the cold earth with a taloned claw as it drew back with its right hand. For a instant circuits flashed with a eerie green light before the arm exploded outward into the shape of the massive wickedly sharp sword of green energy.

The tyranomon screamed yet was silenced as the green blade was plunged through the mech's chest and into the cockpit where the human was surely split down the middle. Greydramon's head shot up as it caught sight of the closer of the two tyranomon. It leapt upward with a _whoosh_ of wings. The black tyranomon was grabbed by the leg and slammed back to earth. The momentum threw greydramon down on it as well, landing with taloned foot into the mech's lower torso. Greydramon ripped the thing's chest open with its bear hands. The dragon made a needful snarl as it violently assaulted the tyranomon's head. Tai was getting better at being one with greydramon's thoughts. He was more dragon then man when he was locked within the mech's chest cavity.

Greydramon pulled back with no look of repentance on it's reptilian guise. It flexed its wings as it took sight of the next. It's voice came with a dragon's snarl interlaced to Taichi's soft and yet commanding tone. The words were neither of the two's now.

"Dragon rage." the words were followed by liquid fire which swirled around the greydramon for an instant before shooting outward to the next black tyranomon. He was able to escape the beam with just burns. It could have been a lot worse. He was about to rejoin his brethren when a force flung them apart. Tai glanced over to sora to find her with her hand stretched out to them. as hurt as she was her power was unquestionable. The mech was held aloft in chaotic swirling. Greydramon was about to charge the thing, but stopped as sora shot forward faster. Her hair was wild as her silver wings stretched outward. Behind each silvery feather a matching razor of silver lowered. The tyranomon froze as sora collided with it. Her wing had opened wider and just as she was about to collide with it she had spun in a 180. The motion had brought her wing against the thing's neck and with that one elegant motion split the tyranomon's head from it's body.. Both halves fell to the earth, and as the landed, burst into flames.

Sora smirked hatefully at the red one . It attacked her. the long cabled whip had shot outward for sora, but never connected. Alex froze in shock as he watched the greydramon appear from nowhere and seize the cable. With no delay greydramon used the cable to spin the tyranomon around in a great circle. The spinning lasted only a moment before he hurtled the red tyranomon tword the earth. The pilot however brought his mech out of the free fall and flew back to a safer distance.

The final black tyranomon had jetted off tword sora with weapon drawn. 

The sky was suddenly illuminated with red light as the black mech was engulfed in a massive beam from high above. It's steel bubbled with heat for a moment before it exploded with a massive spray of debris. The light faded away instantly as sora stared with wide eyes at taichi who was mirroring that expression. Neither of them had fired that blast...

The heavens rippled like an ocean of sky as a cloak disengaged. A very big cloak. The entire skyline was suddenly rippling like a pond as a great shadow fell over the land. The red tyranomon backed away slowly with fear as the image of a colossal ship appeared before them. it was painted with highlights of silver and deep shadow. The form was that of a colossal wing. It had massive gun turrets which were all trained at them. thrusters spat sapphire light outward as the ship corrected its corse to a standstill. The ship's name was engraved upon the hull in clear black letters. "The Listener."

The sky around it began to ripple as dozens of mechs uncloaked. They were many different types, each armed and ready to fall into the fray.

From the front hull of the titanic ship a light illuminated a part in the seams forming. This opening unfolded outward into a platform surrounded by ion cannons which hummed with deadly energy. Four figures stood within shadows upon that platform, overlooking the three combatants. The listener was armored to withstand a war and armed to punch a hole through a planet.

Sora flew over to greydramon for comfort should the listener appear to be ally to the red tyranomon. But then again that mech looked panicky as it stared up at the ionic cannons.

The lights initiated on the platform with a soft silver glow. There were faces tai couldn't identify. A girl with long brown hair braided neatly on her back. She wore a red blouse and a dark green shawl around herself. There was also a medic with a white lab-coat flapping in the winds cast down from the distant horizon. He wore wire framed glasses on his face that gleamed silver in the runner lights.

Taichi's eyes widened as he did recognize the two figures who stepped forward. They were scowling down on them. Tai didn't know if they were glowering at he and sora or at the tyranomon pilot. The girl was wearing a dark body-suit while the boy was wearing a black muscle shirt and green baggy pants.

Koshiro spoke trough a multi faceted intercom that rang out through the ship's speakers and into the cockpit of the mechs. His voice was dark and without levity.

"Take aim..." on his word the dozens of ion cannons and various missile turrets and rail guns all automatically sprang to life and alined themselves. Several human manned guns were now beeping out confirmed lock-ons to target while the human pilots grinned dryly.

"Terminate it." he smiled darkly.

The sky was illuminated with red light as the gun turrets exploded with a array of high-density laser blasts. The tyranomon bolted off as shots rang out around him. He rolled and pivoted as beams grazed his crimson hull. He was going full throttle as the listener opened fire on him. Taichi and Sora stared out in shock as only a few of the lower power weapons blasted at the rapidly vanishing figure of the tyranomon. The firing ceased, leaving only a faint cloud of dust on the horizon. The Tyranomon was gone with only sheer blind luck to thank. Tai emerged from the cockpit of Greydramon and stared up at izzy. His chocolate eyes met the dark pools of izzy as he stared down at him.

Tai was filled with apprehension as he caught the faintest of grins on the boy's lips. Once again he was playing along to another's game, and this koshiro could be far more dangerous to Taichi's future then he dared imagine. But for better or for worst, he was now playing the game. 

"Prodigious...."

  
  


**Life is a circle, and thus the past, given time, will come back to you.**

**That can't be changed, so worrying over it is fruitless.**

**What really should worry you is that your past might dredge up demons long forgot.**

**Be conscious of your actions, for demons of your own making are the hardest to banish.**

  
  


**Not The End...**

   [1]: mailto:logan91235@aol.com



	5. Assault on the Listener

I don't own them. such an original statement. Sorry about the wait on this chapter, I didn't mean for it to drag on like it has. This chapter is basically here to explain a lot of things, like what Greydramon is, and what the knights are. I know these explanations are not arranged as they should be and kinda come out of nowhere. But frankly I was having a hard time thinking of ways to give background and make it seem natural. So basically izzy and Kari have some chatty moments in the fic. -___- well here we go, hope it doesn't suck too badly.

  
  
  
  
  
  


Dark Horizon

by Logan

  
  
  
  
  
  


"Assault On The Listener"

  
  
  
  


The listener was even more massive upon entry into it as it was from the earth below, if that was possible. The loading bay where Greydramon was docked seemed as though it were one great and massive mouth which could swallow up armies of mechs and men with one great, all consuming bite. It was furnished with hundreds of devices for upkeep and repair to the mechs and ships which were housed within in individuals alcoves which were draped with cables and wires that hung like vines from a jungle canopy. The alcoves were stacked one on top of another in the great circular bay with only the exception of the bottom row which was stacked with machinery of various sizes, tools, doors, and the massive bay door which gaped before them in a shadowy grin. The room was full of mechs of varying size and type. Most were held aloft in alcoves while a few were being worked on with strange tools designed specifically for work on living technology. 

High above the alcoves hung a massive dome of glass which looked out upon the endless sky of shimmering stars. The lighting came from hundreds of flourescent panels on each alcove and in the center work area. There were men of various attire working on mechs and ship engines. Some wore lab coats while others wore military uniforms and even more wore grease-stained overalls and work gloves.

The loud speaker would periodically activate and inform various teams of changes to schedule or required meetings for those who might forget their times. This was drowned out partially by the stereo of one of the mechanics with long blond hair who was swaying back and forth while working on a engine. The rock music blended to the metalic chorus of hammers pressure tools and other devices which clanged out metal to metal or with a whoosh of steam. Tai was standing with Sora, izzy and Kari on the eighth alcove where the Greydramon now stood. Cables were leading into the mech's chest feeding fuel into the energy cells which normally would be powered by the mech itself. Izzy had explained that the Greydramon had maxed itself out for a hatchling when it partnered with tai, evolved weapons, and fought two massive battles where energy attacks were used. Tai had sensed that this was true through the link he now bore to Greydramon. Though he did mention that if anyone tried to do anything to Greydramon the mech was easily capable of killing them without a pilot since tai was willing it to defend itself if threatened. Izzy was somewhat nervous as he instructed all personnel to avoid the Greydramon.

They were cold to izzy and Kari as they were led away from the docking bay and into the solarium. The halls were metal mesh grading which echoed with their footfalls. Tai noticed that the soldiers present all stiffened as izzy passed them by. The redheaded boy was dressed in a black coat which danced as he walked down the hall. There were doors on either side. Taichi noted some of the names, many of them were unknown names of various sciences. He assumed that this ship was a flying laboratory in many respects, how else could they have this many ionic weapons and other truly rare and expensive toys?

Izzy was speaking but tai was only half paying attention.

"The Listener was constructed over the corse of six lifetimes. The financial aspect was secured just as the earth developed the old Internet. You see I was one of the Internet's founding fathers and upon it's creation I installed a specialized worm program. It's really quite interesting actually..." tai debated if it would be wise to just snap the youth's neck now to shut him up. 

"You see the program withdrew two dollars from the personal account from every death certificate it recorded during its hundred year run-time. This was a blink of the eye for a digidestined, so I was able to get the necessary financial backing to construct the listener.

This is the largest warship in history. It has twelve ionic cannons which are capable of destroying a moon or a small planet if fully charged and given requisite fire time. I designed the cloak myself, it can remain invisible to both eyes and radar for up to ten feet from the hull, it also is relatively easy on power usage for its size." he was smiling with pride as he continued.

"The listener is more then just a warship too. We currently have eighty families living onboard and close to a thousand single people who live and work on her full time. It has been my home for two lifetimes now, granted in the beginning there wasn't much to it. But now she is almost 100% complete, only minor add-ons are pending. She can survive completely independent of any colony or transport. All we need is grown, recycled, and replicated, so obviously we are able to keep virtually invisible to the public.

This ship was constructed to quell a massive war on its own, the perfect nemesis to Ishida's forces. They only have unconfirmed reports and tiny video clips. We are biding our time till we are prepared to stop Ishida's progress. I hate to think of the listener as a weapon, but it is the most powerful combat machine in existence.... with the possible exception of Greydramon." izzy paused to look at Sora who was treading alongside Taichi in utter silence. He winced at her cold stare when she caught his gaze. He had never seen a hybrid, and Sora was perpetuating everything he heard about their contempt for humanity. It seemed so strange to look upon the face of a friend and not see any resemblance to the person they once were.

"Sora... would you like a change of cloths? I can't help noticing that you just have a cloak. It must be very cold for you." he winced at the tone of her voice.

"I don't get cold..." she growled. It was Taichi who spoke next.

"Maybe you should get something to wear under that Sora... I'm not crazy about the idea of other guys getting a glimpse at you." Sora's face changed as she looked at tai and nodded, but sadly it turned back to ice as she stared at izzy. "It will need to accommodate my wings and not be loose fitting." 

  
  


"Wings?" he questioned, but before his words could reach her she was tackled from behind by the form of a young girl with brown hair. She cried out in shock as the giggling girl practically screamed out Sora's name with a bubbly tone.

Sora responded instantly with lightning fast movements. She flung the girl over her shoulder and against the wall. Her wing exploded outward and pinned the girl to the wall with two spear-like feathers on either side of her throat. Sora snarled in an angry hiss at the frozen and terrified form of the brown haired girl.

Kari cried out in shock "Mimi!"

The girl was terrified as the blades pinched her throat. Sora snarled before releasing her and retracting her wing back to confines of the billowy white fabric of her cloak. Sora stared down on Mimi with no essence of compassion or even recognition of her. she turned away from where the girl lay sprawled and trotted over to tai's side.

"How many of these humans are going to try hugging me?" she questioned to Taichi with a slight growl in her voice. He stared down at Mimi and shrugged.

"Beats me... but if someone tries it with me I'll do worse then toss them across the room." Sora smirked. She glanced down at Mimi as she was being helped up by the young man with the glasses. He was dressed as a doctor with strong features and a faint blue tinge to his dark hair.

Mimi seemed to cower behind the young doctor as she stared out at Sora and tai with a trembling gaze. Izzy stepped between them.

"Please understand that Sora and Taichi have not yet awakened to their true memories. They don't know us..." Mimi nodded solemnly as Sora cast a scowling glance to them. they continued onward.

  
  


****

"Sir, I'm so sorry I've failed you..." Alexander said in a passive tone. He was seized by his throat and hoisted high into the air by the blond commander. The icy eyed digidestined roared with anger as he let his grip tighten on the pilot.

"You don't say!?! I gave you a team of skilled pilots with powerful mechs to eliminate the Greydramon and its pilot. YOU NOT ONLY FAILED IN THAT TASK, BUT DELIVERED THEM TO KOSHIRO!!!!" Ishida threw the youth against the far wall with an explosive impact that threw several pieces of furniture aside. The metal wall dinted inward as Alexander coughed blood.

"I am almost out of time! The military is no match for us now, but koshiro's forces are! The listener can match our force, and with Greydramon and the hybrid allied to them, this game is over!" he snarled out in a seething roar as he punched a nearby wall which buckled and then splintered under the impact. Alex stared at him in fear, the commander had never seemed so enraged. A rage that was almost as tangible and destructive as a napalm fire. His eyes were burning with icy light which pooled on his rage-contorted features like liquid alabaster.

"We must now be ready for a real fight. Intruder is still an asset to us against the Listener, but there are now more complications to deal with. Sin has disappeared.... koshiro will now feel ready to end this. And he has the Greydramon." he calmed lightly as he stroked his scarred throat.

"You failed me once Alex.... I will give you only one last chance to prove your worthiness to exist. We mobilize all forces for combat against koshiro's army." he motioned for Alex to stand as the scythe clicked out into it's combat position. Alex whimpered as he let his eyes shut. Then the pain came.

The weapon had slashed a deep gash down the right side of the boy's face which was now painted in blood.

"You have been marked as a failure. That wound will be with you always, and though it shall scab over, the pain will never leave you. Fail me again and i do much worse then that... now out of my sight." he snarled as the pilot left while clutching his face. ishida's eyes burned in the darkened breifing room. He could smell the failure's blood in the air and was enlivened by it. The end was at hand for either him or for izzy... he longed for that. And maybe the pleasure of feeling taichi's blood on his lips.

  
  


"Taichi and sora are now working with koshiro, mimi, joe, and kari. Their force now has far more powerful indiviguals then my own." matt leaned against the same wall which he had punched moments ago. He was regaining his composure as he ran through his options in the seemingly vacant breifing room. 

"Takeru and braedon... i can't count on them against kari... but perhaps the chance to battle the greydramon would be enough to stroke their fighter's pride. Their pride must have been hurt when the greydramon was able to defeat the both of them after partnering mere minutes before.

I wonder how long it will take until they learn that kari is with izzy... once they learn where she is, then they become threats. Perhaps the wisest corse would be to kill them before they have a chance to turn sides... that feels like such a waste of potential, but it is wisest." ishida lowered his gaze to the tool in his hand. The scythe was bathed in crimson and smelled of it also. The scythe seemed to be an omen to the commander as it's blood dripped slowly down the handle to his bare hand. It felt thick and heavenly as it rolled over eazch digit. He studied the blood and knew that it was his legacy. He would carve out a piece of the universe for himself with this bloody weapon, then he would drink from it. 

He was once again in complete control. The feel of blood was the most soothing texture he had ever encountered. He could think back to manticon, the vans full of children. The blood on the floor.. He recalled how taichi had developed a hatred for blood due to that trip, but he had developed a lust for it. He thought back on centuries of blood and was lulled into an even deeper calm that bordered ecstasy. Sighing heavily he walked to the door and departed.

  
  


"Why is it that megalomaniac tyrants always talk to themselves?" Braedon quipped.

"He's going to move against izzy.... against kari." tk said softly to braedon who was perched beside him in the rafters of the breifing room, far above where ishida had been. Tk ignored braedon's joke. 

"it looks as though the time has come for us to tender our resignation" braedon smirked.

"After all this time.... I found her." tk spoke softly with the faintest wisper of a smile.

"It was only a matter of time brother... Hikari is eternal... we were bound to find her. I've waited so long to see her again, my sister." braedon's violet eyes shinned in the dark.

"We will be together again..." braedon said.

"Come on brother... we know where she is, let's go and get her. Then we'll re-educate the species about the three, remind them exactly how small they are." TK smiled darkly as his crimson eyes shimmered malevolently.

"I take it we are going to stop Ishida?"

"I'm not looking to pick a side. Izzy or matt? One totalitarian leader or another... I say we level the field on all sides."

"Matt is a monster, but what I've heard of koshiro... he seems like a good guy." Braedon replied simply.

"I've served great men Braedon... given time the most honest will become crooked... the most righteous, wicked. Izzy was a good man... he may still be.... but once upon a time yamato was my brother and I loved him dearly. He was a hero, a great man.... look what the power can do given time. I say we unite, then prune back all the roses before they grow thorns." TK smiled as he rose up on the steel beam. Braedon followed. They would have no difficulty getting away... Ishida may be planning their death... but he wouldn't try it immediately. He would have no time to assign a watch on the two. They would be long gone before matt realized anything. Hikari was waiting for them.... and god help anyone who tried to keep them from her.

As the two slipped away through the air duct from witch they had entered a shadow rippled outward like a pool of shimmering black water. They didn't see it as they disappeared, but it saw them. The pool gradually shaped itself into the humanoid form, though to call it human would be a stretch of the term. The entity known to some as Sin stared up at where the two were with his lifeless black eyes. It smiled darkly as it let loose a soft chuckle. 

"Why do we always talk to ourselves?"

  
  


****

The atrium opened around them as though the cobalt grey ship were no more then a massive set of arms which opened up to a new world. The colossal atrium was a glassy bubble that seemed to be the center of the ship. It sloped gradually downward in a great grassy carpet of lush green blades, overhanging trees which rose from the ground like ancient spires, and in the very bottom of this massive panorama sat a small lake of sapphire blue water. The trees and grass looked far more healthy then anything grown in the more illustrious colonies. The domed skylight was black with space and stars, though the overhanging strip of steel carried with it a large lamp which glowed with bright yellow ultraviolet light. This artificial sun bathed the room in golden radiance and sustained the plants. 

In various corners of the massive dome along the treeline, or by the pond, many men and women lounged in casual attire. This artificial earth appeared to be a place for the crew to spend their off-duty time. An artificial earth for the human race.

Sora had dressed somewhat reluctantly in a rubber space insulation suit which would normally be warn under a space suit to prevent hypothermia and measure vital signs remotely. Within the black rubber bodysuit thousands of microchip panels were fitted amidst gel-packs which could be adjusted to generate the requisite warmth or cold to maintain the human body temperature. This was of corse not necessary to one of Sora's kind which existed beyond the threat of dying in the icy depths of space. She had complied more for the benefit of Taichi who expressed a dislike of other males seeing her nude from the gap in her makeshift cloak. 

Izzy had cast an occasional glance at her with an expression that showed just how troubled he was by her. she snarled low in her throat. Taichi touched her gently periodically on the way to the atrium. That was enough to sooth her, though she still didn't trust all these humans which she could smell all around her.

"Nice place you have here..." Sora said.

"It's the heart of the listener.... many of the crew never leave the ship, staring at the same thing over and over again can cause dementia. The atrium gives it the organic feel that is necessary for humans."

"What is the Greydramon?" tai asked suddenly... izzy paused for a moment as he wrestled with the words. Finally he decided. "The beginning." his words cast an icy spell over the warm and sunny landscape.

"In the beginning there was no light... just darkness. Mankind was on the verge of extinction due to the evil digimon which were everywhere. Light was on the verge of extinction when the eight came and fought back the evil... You know the story about how they went to the demon world and met the last good digimon...... the great dramon, or Greydramon" he paused.

"Greydramon is a digimon of limitless power... one of it's powers is to divide itself and put pieces of it's soul in other beings... it did that with us. By placing a sliver of his soul in each of the eight we were made immortal.... but later, more would be needed.

The first digital war came and the Greydramon was forced to divide himself further into eight more pieces... though these fragments were not implanted in humans... but given form as the eight digidestine's digimon. They won the first war with these allies... then came the second war. Now even more was needed... and so the Greydramon split himself up into thousands of pieces which he gave to thousands of children. All of which became digidestined, though not immortals like us. And thus the second digital war was ended...

Now came the time of peace... the Greydramon discovered that he enjoyed being divided amongst so many pure humans. Their sensations and emotions were alien to the Greydramon, thus he enjoyed sharing these feelings with them.... he continued like this for lifetimes. Passing the fragments on to the next generation upon the death of the host. 

Then came the plague..." izzy's eyes darkened.

"All digimon were dying... and among them was the eight digidestine's digimon. Tentomon, palamon, gabumon, gomamon, patamon, gatomon, biyomon, and augomon.... they died and the fragments were called back to Greydramon with the plague upon them. once Greydramon's core was corrupted all but the eight spirits were lost. No more digidestined...

Digimon survived because of me... in my past life I was the scientist to cure them by changing them. I mourned the losses of all that I could not save, and none more then Greydramon... years later it occurred to me that if digimon still exist and we have retained our immortality that the essence of Greydramon was not lost. He would be weakened to the point of death... but unable to die... the curse of immortality." izzy sighed as he rubbed the marking on his wrist as one might a throbbing ache.

" two lifetimes ago I learned that the government was creating a digimon. I was curious, so I hacked their systems and learned of what they were making. What I found shocked me...

No human could ever be able to do what this scientist was doing. He wasn't creating a digimon... he was creating the Greydramon! I realized that the Greydramon's spirit was guiding him to make this digimon... a way for the Greydramon to escape the curse of the plague... to change himself as all other digimon had been changed, thus saved from the plague's power.

The plague however, must have absorbed some of Greydramon's essence for it became immortal too... and eternally linked to the Greydramon's soul. That's why the scientist suddenly decided to make two mechs... 

Greydramon must have instructed the man to create a second mech to house the plague's essence and filter it away from Greydramon. Thus there were two... you have the pure Greydramon... and someone stole the plague Greydramon that they named Seth, after the Egyptian god of destruction and chaos. I don't know where Seth has vanished to, but I'm afraid of what might happen when it resurfaces... the Greydramon will be the only weapon capable of standing against the dark mech. But in the mean time it is the best weapon against Ishida. The best weapon we have to keep him from crossing the line and using his gift for conquest over humanity. If we lose Greydramon then it's just a matter of time till Ishida destroys us breaks us to the point where we can't come back." izzy looked forlorn as he met tai's eyes. The older digidestined stared at him with an unreadable expression.

  
  


"And Sora? Why does he want her?" izzy's expression grew perplexed as he glanced to Sora.

"What? He wants Sora?"

"They made it clear that they wanted Greydramon either intact or destroyed if not possible, and they wanted me the same way." said Sora.

"I can't think why.... you would make a valuable enforcer... but they couldn't win you as an allie by threatening you. It wouldn't make sense for them to target you along with Greydramon."

"But they did target her..." tai replied sharply.

"How do I know I can believe you?"

"What? Tai..." izzy seemed hurt as the darkness in tai's eyes welled up.

"We saved you." joe said softly with the faintest trimmer of fear in his voice. Tai picked that up.

"Or did you save Greydramon? Were your actions to save us because you may still need us? You've used me.... forced me to work for you..."

Tai turned to izzy. "You were the one who sent me to get Greydramon...."

"Yes. I was tracking you the whole time... but you must understand..." he was cut off as tai grabbed him by the throat and tossed him several feet away. Izzy rolled, grunting with pain from the impact. Several soldiers ran forward tword tai, yet were thrown backwards by an invisible force which could only be Sora's will. Tai walked tword izzy slowly and stopped feet from where he lay on his elbows looking up. A faint crimson hue lay over his lips wetly.

"I don't like being used by people... you said knowledge is your area... so pay real close attention to what I am saying." he leaned forward. "If you ever use me or Sora again, I swear to you that I will kill you in a way that will leave your mind scarred in the following lives." izzy trembled at his tone as tai straightened himself. he prepared to leave yet stopped as a sharp voice met him.

"Bastard.."he and Sora both turned to the source of the trembling voice which tried to project strength. Mimi stood there with anger in her hazel eyes. They flashed with fear like the distant reflections of lightning. Tai walked over to her and stopped an inch away. She trembled as she spoke.

"We saved you... we need you. You're a hero dammit! How can you not care about the future... about the people who will die if matt wins!?! what happened to you Taichi!? Who in hell are you?"

His face was an inch away from hers as he glowered into her. not mearly at her, but into the core of her. she was so afraid that he would do something to her. she was a leaf to him, weak and brittle. The child in the body of the woman stared up at him summoning all her strength.

"I'm not the Taichi Kamiya that once was. This isn't the digital world... it's not even the earth. All there is, is black... a hole that can't be filled. I don't care about your future. About the species... I don't particularly care if someone uses their power to rule everything. I don't remember a life I've lead where I had something worth dying for, until now. Sora is all that matters to me now. I'll die for her... not for you. Thanks to you I can't go back to what I was. Sora is hunted, as am I. 

I'm forced to fight matt now... if I'm ever going to have a moment of freedom in this world it will be after he is gone. I have to help you... but don't confuse me with Taichi. He died a long time ago." Mimi watched as he exited the tiny patch of paradise and vanished into the cold grey ship that existed around it. Sora took a brief detour from following him and went to izzy instead. She leaned in and whispered to him.

"Tai doesn't remember who he was. But I remember... what's the word? I've triggered? I remember when I used to love you as a brother, all of you like my own family. I remember what you and tai once were to each other... best friends." izzy stared at her.

"Prey he doesn't trigger izzy. As soon as he remembers what you two used to be to each other it will break his heart to see how you've used him. You weren't meant to be leader izzy... I know that without a doubt now." she turned and prepared to walk off to go explore the ship as tai must be doing now. Izzy called to her.

"You were the bearer of the crest of love! What changed you so much if you remember that?" she glanced back and met his eyes.

"In this life I was born a hybrid. I had all the love inside I always had before... but feeling as much hatred as I have felt just because of the way I was born in this life.... there's more hate in this world then there is love izzy.... I don't think love has a chance anymore. We all are scarred now...." and with that she was gone.

  
  


****

  
  


Izzy got up slowly as he shook the haze from his mind. "Well that's not comforting.."

"Sir. Do you want us to bring the two back?" one of thee guards questioned as he lay a hand on his weapon which lay ready in it's holster.

"Absolutely not... wether either of us likes it or not, they are our only chance. Plus... we don't have the man-power to stop both of them even if we had to." he brushed the grass from himself as he turned to Mimi.

"Are you alright? I gotta say that took a lot of guts, talking like that to tai."

"I'll live as long as my heart eventually stops hammering. He was seriously debating killing us for using him." she said as joe softly rubbed her shoulders reassuringly.

"He's that close to the edge? Izzy, how can we gamble so much in them? He actually said it wasn't important what matt is doing! What if he goes to the dark side like matt? We'd have no way to stop the both of them, much less Sora!" joe barked. Izzy ignored him and instead focused on Mimi.

"Did you feel anything from them?"

"Even a normal human could feel something from him... he wasn't lying when he said all that mattered was Sora. He still loves her... my god, that's the kind of love they write books about. He's existed for centuries, and he has loved her since they first met over a thousand years ago..." she smiled and sank back in a moment of unguarded girlish bliss. She spoke as she sighed dreamily.

"How come none of you guys ever were like that with me?" izzy glanced around nervously as he coughed out. "Mimi... this isn't the best time for that." she jumped back to reality with a flush of embarrassment.

"As I was saying he wasn't kidding about that... he'd kill us all if it meant Sora would live. He carries with him a darkness that I've never seen. He's been hurt and lost all faith in humans. That may be why he doesn't care if an immortal rules over them. he's never known love... until now. He'll do truly evil things if it means he can keep that. As long as matt wants Sora then he'll work with us." joe nodded with a sadness as he urged her to go on.

"He hasn't triggered?"

"No... his life has been hell. To trigger he must be at the edge of sanity. True mental breakdown... that will be nearly impossible given how jaded he is by his life. I can't picture any one stress strong enough to awaken the digidestined of courage. But with this darkness inside tai.. I'd be afraid of what may wake up if that ever did happen.

At heart he's still a great man, a good man. But that heart is a heart of darkness now."

"It's the same with Sora. I sense a great sadness within her when she focuses on what humans have become. They taught her how to hate, and so she hates them for that. She hates humans... but loves tai. That's the last part of our Sora in her, the rest is what was done to her.

it scares me how many of us are dark now. Matt gave into evil and became it, now tai and Sora seem to be shadows of who they were. It doesn't make sense that this can happen to the best of us." Mimi whispered the last in a hollow and sorrowful voice. 

She had the power of sincerity. That seed of truth had blossomed into a power over the eternity as izzy had grown more at one with his knowledge, and joe with his healing. Mimi could feel truth in people... if the door were open she could peer inside and feel their auras, divining truth from lies. And now as she saw within her mind's eye the core of tai and Sora she hated her gift... for it shed the light of truth over how bad things had become within the chosen eight. She was broken by her somber silence by Kari's soft and yet mysticly clear words. 

"The digidestined are eternal... as are good and evil... matt has succumb to evil gradually over the eternity. We are shaped, I suppose, by the times we encounter. There have been precious few ages of peace, yet countless ages of hate and war. That changes us since we cannot ever forget those ages. Death can't release us from the evil we have encountered... our slates never are cleaned... they just get more and more dirty. It's possible that Taichi may be starting down that road matt was forced to walk. Perhaps the road we all are meant to eventually travel if the light truly does flicker away for good." Kari glanced down at her tattoo which seemed vaguely more invisible upon her wrist. Izzy walked over to her and attempted to lay a hand on her shoulder for comfort. She shrugged it off as she shrugged off all attempts to bring her any comfort in this dark and cold world. She had Taichi's strength, and his resolve to never burden the others.

"Kari..." he sounded hurt.

"I'm going to go find tai. If anyone can get to him it will be me." as she left Mimi turned to izzy, her eyes were bleak with sadness as she spoke in a whisper.

"Kari is keeping something from us too... something that I can't see clearly for some reason. But whatever it is I can feel one aura about it..." she trailed off as izzy grew worried.

"What can you sense?!?" he feared the worst... his fears were answered.

"Blood...."

  
  


****

The air was seemingly still in the shadowy bowls of the ship. The darkness was a nest of circuits and serpentine wires and cables which softly buzzed with power as each task was completed with the automated attention of the vast computer network. They were all normal sounds.... save one. It was a sound that no ear could hear... but one that was far more deadly then all others. It was a tracking beacon... a soft repetitive computer noise that echoed far beyond the listener and out into cold space where the enemy had ears. There was a dialog held through transmissions as the shadowy device spoke to its master. It's orders were being sent. Death... not of humans, yet.. But the death of the listener. 

The machine would sabotage the listener first... all the while sending out it's location to the army which lay in wait. Then it would assassinate the people on board. Though should it encounter resistance... it would of corse eliminate the threat to its mission.

The darkness came alive as the Intruder rose up from its crouched position. Its dark semblance gave the shadow around it a more malignant and evil aspect. It moved.

  
  


****

"I don't think the two of you are going to win any popularity contests..." Kari mentioned as she glanced over at the two who stood against each other in a gentle contact as they stared out one of the large viewing windows out to space. They were close to the moon in their leisurely orbit of earth. The moon was giant by perspective to the ship and bathed the room in sheets of pale ghostly ivory. Tai and Sora were a nest of shadow and ivory that illuminated them with a spectral aura. Tai's silvery chestnut hair was entangled with Sora's coppery hair. She was pressed to him in a silent, and yet tender embrace.

They turned to Kari reluctantly and for an instant as Taichi's face shifted from ivory moonlight to velvet shadow he saw her as he once had seen her years ago, a brother and a comrade all in one, but that gaze faded away within the aspect of a moment as his face returned to the inky shadow of the lightless room. Sora's eyes glowed in the dark as was true for any wild animal. There was no menace in the fiery orbs, but they still pierced Kari like a fang.

"What do you want Kari?" Sora questioned in a wispy voice.

"The two of you can't be like this with them. They are just trying to do the right thing as best they can."

"Who says that they're right?" tai questioned blankly. She puzzled for a moment before speaking.

"And you think matt is? You think he really should use his immortality to become some kind of god to the human race?"

"Matt is my enemy... but if that weren't the case? Look around at this world Kari? We've killed our planet... we rape rob and destroy each other... if someone could grab the species by the throat, maybe they could choke some control into it. Ruling with wisdom and kindness won't get us back to worth saving... maybe the threat of painful death could." Kari shivered at his words. She wondered if tai might anoint himself that god after matt was gone. She doubted they could deal with tai so soon after matt was gone.

"They may be unworthy of salvation but they deserve to be free to make the choice themselves!" she yelled back with surprising zeal that caught tai off-guard.

"Why does it matter to you so much?" Sora questioned.

"I.... I was the guardian of the crest of light. The reason this world is so dark is because I failed them. my crest is a whisper of what it was and that is symbiotically linked to the people of this world. I should have protected them better, but I failed as a digidestined and light was dimmed in the hearts of man." she trailed off as a wetness shimmered in her moonlit eyes.

"That wasn't your fault Kari..." Sora said in a voice that was all the same as it had once been before she had been subjected to racial prejudices of such magnitude that hate became her creed.

"Yes it was... it's our fault."

"Our?"

"TK and I made a mistake several lifetimes ago.... a selfish and utterly horrible mistake."

"What did you do?" he asked in a voice that so reminded her of her big brother. She missed tai... and it was that bond that got her to confess to a crime she tried very, very hard to forget. Tai watched as the ivory light exaggerated her sorrow to fathomless dark lines in her face. she could never lie to Taichi... he had been her brother once, but he had been her hero always. Even back in the beginning. She could not lie...

  
  


"In the beginning there were the eight. That you know... but what izzy won't tell you is that there was once a time we were doing exactly what matt has done. We eight once had a different role then what we have now... in the beginning we used our powers to establish a kingdom. A kingdom ruled by the order of the knights." her voice trembled as she spoke.

" We were the knights, eight immortals who brought order to a piece of land once called Avalon. We brought a code known as chivalry to the people... a code which was ruled by combat and honor. The knights kept the people in line and our legions swelled as the order grew larger and more powerful. Soon we were carving chunks away from other continents until the whole world was ours to govern as gods." her eyes closed as Taichi gaped. Sora on the other hand grew sad. 

"It was good for a while... we ruled them well and the people enjoyed a peaceful life under our domination. But then the trouble started. A rebellion formed from a sect which deluded our codes to evil. they saw our religion as a means of domination and a way to grow stronger through combat and dark skills. We fought them, and there was much pain across the land. We won, but Avalon was no longer capable of sustaining us. The battles had weakened it's mystic core to the point where it began fading away into the mists of time. The eight escaped... we fled to a land known as England.... we tried to re-establish our grip on the earth from there and for a time it was working.

This time we hid ourselves and our immortality. Our order was still reasserting itself, but now it was centered under a castle known as Camelot. We were on the verge of resurrecting control by guidance, as opposed to dominance. The eight hid themselves as knights, king, queen, and wizard. But that was short lived... within one lifetime adversity arose again, and the order, still too weak to defend, imploded on itself." she paused as tai was wording his question which she answered before it was posed.

"Izzy played the part of merlin... yourself, Takeru, joe, Mimi, and myself became knights of the fabled round table while yamato took the place of king Arthur, and Sora his queen." tai recoiled as if slapped and turned to Sora who looked at him sorrowfully. He swallowed the lump in his throat and hesitantly lay a hand on her cheek as a sign of his forgiveness and understanding that this was a long time ago. She smiled sadly.

"The final blow came when sir Lancelot, you Taichi, fell in love with the queen. The rest of the story has become legend as sir Lancelot stole Guinevere away in a great romantic rescue. Camelot fell and with it our order was no more..." she looked out at the moon as she continued.

"We spent the next three centuries erasing all traces of the order from history. We had learned that any attempt to control the corse of man, either by passivity or vivacity would ultimately end in ruin and pain for humanity. We decided to leave the legend of Arthur, but all traces of ourselves were expunged. That was when the chosen eight became a clean up crew. We decided that we would mearly work to keep the world free of dictators and tyrants who were actually capable of seizing control over the world, or destroying it. That's why those of us who remember know matt must be stopped, because he has power enough to do it. We don't talk about the order and our early efforts out of pure shame." she was mesmerized by the ivory orb of the moon which glowed in ethereal purity upon her.

"What does all that have to do with something you and TK did?" Sora questioned.

"As I said the order was annihilated, save two immortals. Myself and TK possess different powers then the rest of you. Our powers are the core of the other six. Hope and light. We maintained the faith because it is a part of us... but such a short time ago we did something unforgivable." she turned away from the moon in favor of the all concealing shadow.

"Man was just now forced to live in colonies when the mistake occurred. TK and I were born on a small but happy colony. It wasn't a slum-land like so many others of its size. It was there that I was born with a human brother. He was a sweet child... I loved him so much, as did TK. Little Braedon. When we were eleven a fire in the residential area erupted. TK, Braedon, and I were trapped inside. Braedon caught fire and nearly died. TK and I were able to extinguish him, but not before he was burned... burned badly." tai leaned forward.

"Seeing our little brother burned so bad he no longer looked like himself triggered the two of us. And somehow as we were holding him while triggering something unforgivable and unexplainable occurred." she paused.

"The second we realized what was happening we should have dropped him and broken the link... but we loved him so much... we had to protect him... somehow, as we triggered, the powers of hope and light drained into him. Not all of it, but half of our power went into the human. I don't know how we did it... But we made a ninth chosen." Sora gasped in shock.

"That's why your crest is so faded! Because half of it is missing!" tai cried in shock.

"Yeah... it's the same with TK... Braedon was healed, and made immortal. But with only a fraction of hope and light left in us the symbiotic bond between the crests and humanity faded equally. Because of us... the reason this world is so dark, and ruled by evil and despair is because we drained out the hope and light from it."

"My god.." Sora gaped as her hand closed over her own wrist.

"That's why I have to stop matt... why we have to save humanity, even if it doesn't deserve it. Because I was the cause of it's fall into darkness." her shame pooled across her darkened continences despite the veil of inky shadow. Her eyes were drawn to the floor as she felt the secret's crushing weight shift off of her shoulders to a lesser, and yet more profound weight of shame for her actions. Tai was looking at her incredulously with a silence and solemness that pierced her despite her shroud of shadow which did far less a job of concealing her then she had hoped.

"We are the three knights now... Takeru, Braedon, and myself.. But we have defiled ourselves to our code. We destroyed the core elements of our religion by unwittingly crippling all hope and light in the world." she met his eyes hesitantly as she stared at tai.

"Please... I've told you something that I would never tell them. something I try not to ever tell myself. I told you that so you can trust me... please help us."

Tai was on the verge of speaking when the ship lurched suddenly in a violent seizure which tremored upward from the core of the ship and out through the hull. plate steel walls trembled and strained against their moorings with great groans. Tai and Sora stumbled while Kari was tossed against the window, which thankfully maintained its integrity. The bucking ship subsided slowly to its normal stability, though now there was a faint "wiiiirrrrrr" to the normally silent sound of the propulsion. The faint shrill scream of the alarms called out from a distant hall of the ship as the slapping of feet rang out upon the hall floor. The listener was in peril.

  
  


****

  
  


The tortured engine shuddered as scraps of it's decimated frame twisted under the grinding cogs which were relatively undamaged, and thus still trying to move according to their normal function. The cogs were pulling in more and more of their engine into their grinding teeth as steel ripped and twisted under the hateful bite of the cog's toothed wheels. After attempting to swallow up a large chunk of engine they were rendered unable to pass the blockage and thus ripped their own Axels off their anchorages, thus killing the machine.

This was just one of the engines, but the others would soon perish in a similar fashion. The intruder stared down at the damage with it's cold and lifeless, yet limitlessly observant steel eyes. It lorded over the destruction as it assessed the damage was irreparable and thus time to move on to the next device it must cripple. It spun around and moved through the dark utility tunnel with terrifying speed as it's mechanoid legs pumped without the slightest onset of fatigue. He was heavier then a man, yet utterly silent as he ran down the corridor with his sensors to guide him.

Within a heartbeat he sensed movement ahead, this was confirmed by infrared and ultraviolet. His lightning fast data processing speed established it would be a workman rushing to assess and if possible, repair the damage. That would be fruitless of corse, but this human's fate was judged and weighed with no more then the passage of eight micro-seconds.

He spun around the darkened corner as the intruder was drawing within feet. By the time he recognized the mech's humanoid figure it was far too late. The saber blade erupted from his forearm with a silent whoosh of metal locking into place. Without slowing his stride, intruder used that razor to chop the man in half diagonally from shoulder to lower abdomen. The man cried out in shock but not from pain, for he was dead before the two halves inevitably separated in a bloody display of gravity. The blade shot back into his arm as he continued to scamper down the corridor

The turbine gravity generator chugged beside him with its behemoth exaggerated movements as it struggled to complete rotation after rotation in it's endless cycle. This would be a target too... but first the engines should be debilitated, then the power matrix, for they would be easier to destroy with guards soon realizing this was sabotage. Time would be precious and thus intruder should cripple the more vital aspects of the listener before just making it uncomfortable for those who it would soon be hunting. It doubled it's speed.

  
  


****

  
  


The temperature controlled air of the listener was charged with a panicky current that sparked within each man woman and child present within. The alarms sang out chaotically as the backdrop to the rehearsed and nerve-wrackingly calm voice which instructed them to report to their emergency positions.

The bridge was dominated by the massivesemi-circular column of terminals and panels each alive with the faint glow of monitors and illuminated keypads. The stations for the bridge crew were all without chairs save the only exception of the pilot and system operator who sat in a specially made seat surrounded by terminals and monitors which were sunk into a depression upon the steel grated floor. He wore a VR. Helmet which tied him in directly to the system terminal while the pilot was plugged directly into the systems responsible for maintenance of corse and other navigation related systems.

The room was semi-circular in construction and faced a massive holographic computer display that facilitated the entire system at no more then a few keystrokes. Overlooking the bridge from a elevated platform held aloft by hydraulic engines sat a seat molded to a human's shape. The closed over izzy snugly as his visor fed him data from all aspects of the ship. He turned to the door which opened to tai, Sora, and Kari who rushed in with obvious alarm on their collective continences.

"Izzy what's happening?" Kari yelled up to him as the platform lowered to her level and izzy withdrew the visor.

"One of our secondary engines has been shredded. It's sabotage..."

"But how is that possible with Mimi here?"

"Mimi can detect deception and ulterior motives.. She would have known if a malevolent person were present... but she detected nothing.. Which means it has to be inorganic. A surrogate retrofitted to act as a saboteur."

"It must have gotten onboard when we picked up tai and Sora.." Kari observed with a slight tremor of anger at their own inadequacy for not suspecting a cloaked intruder.

"It will most likely also be a transmitter..." tai observed as he fingered his hand scythe.

"Exactly... Ishida now knows where we are and will be coming for us in force."

"Izzy...it will most likely try to destroy the mech bay... it'll go through the ship systematically crippling our defenses."Sora mentioned as her eyes glowed with a faint crimson radiance.

"It'll be able to end this fight before it begins... no way we could lock down a ship the size of the listener with enough manpower to stop a weapon like that... it'll most likely be traveling through the maintenance corridors and vents. We can't stop its movement." tai observed as izzy chuckled.

"I doubt it's programming was made to match my ship. He stepped off the bridge and grinned as he pressed his two index fingers to either of his temples. His eyes shifted from the coal black they once were to a radiant green and black which flickered faintly with numeric data.

"A few years ago I invented a neural uplink implant which I implanted within myself. That plus a tiny micro-transmitter surgically implanted inside my scull, a pair of fiberoptic monitor contact lenses and I am connected to the listener's mainframe."

The contacts cast a faint emerald glow on his darkened retinas which seemed alive with the flickering light of the monitor screen which hung aloft on the bridge.

"Ship-wide lockdown." his voice was projected through the intercom's cold and robotic monotonous tone. As if by magic the ship came alive and granted the order. Doors sealed with hydraulic whooshes and then clicked into a locked position.

"maintenance bay control. Seal all sectors." within the maintenance corridors where the intruder lurked every junction sealed tightly.

"Mech docking bay code five lockdown engage." izzy seemed to come out of his technological trance for a time as he glanced at the others. He spoke not as a computer but as himself to them.

"I've locked the ship down and cut off his travel through the maintenance corridors, he could try breaking through the blockades I have installed, but that would be time consuming and tell us exactly where he is. He'll opt to go up a level and try getting to his targets through the regular passages where we'll be ready for him."

"Can you track him?" Sora questioned

"He wouldn't show up in a heat scan... but maybe I can be creative about finding him." he disappeared back into the trance as his eyes flickered once more.

"Security mainframe. Ship wide search for a target with motion sensors, eliminate all those with heat sources or that are normal ship functions from results. Process request now." he turned back to them as the results of the search were conveyed to his mind through invisible carrier waves.

"We've got a fix on his location...."

****

  
  


Intruder stood for a moment as it surveyed the sealed iris where once a hatch had been. The armor was thick and though penetratable, a problem. The faint eco of military boots came to him as a herald of opposition which was charging in greater number then the cyborg would prefer. He looked back and caught the faintest glimpse of them coming, a dozen officers armed with automatic weapons.

The blade erupted from it with a metal shriek as the intruder leapt upward and with one mighty cut, split a gash in the passage's roof. The intruder climbed up and out of the way as the faint clang of gunfire pelted the metal grading. Intruder sprinted down the hallway on all fours. The robot was terrifyingly fast as it shot down the hall.

Guns erupted behind it as a second squadron opened fire. The slugs pelted the weapon's armored skin without doing much harm. Intruder shot backwards as panels of armor opened to reveal small but powerful jets. The jets flashed with exhaust as the intruder rocketed backwards. Before the soldiers could react it had already imbedded the two sabers within the first two attackers. It withdrew the wet weapons and proceeded to cut another man down as he stumbled backwards.

It was pelted with buck-shot at close range and tossed back from the man brandishing a smoldering sawed-off shotgun. He pumped the weapon again and fired on intruder which raised its arms up defensively. The shot was strong, but not so much so that the intruder was damaged. More gunfire erupted as other soldiers took aim and proceeded to fire rounds at it through automatic weapons which clanged noisily against intruder. The air stank of smoke and sulphur as they tried to overwhelm it.

This tactic worked for only a moment more before the armor shifted on the intruder's back and thrust him forward upon them. the impact was jarring as the men were tossed backwards in a stumbling mass. The weapon spread its arms outward as different panels shifted, revealing gaping holes which suddenly flashed with loud and explosive rounds. The soldiers didn't get the chance to fire again as they all slumped together in a tangled and bloody mess on the floor. Intruder's armor shifted back into place as it once again sprinted down the hallway in search of it's next target.

  
  


****

  
  


"My people aren't equipped to deal with something like this intruder" izzy said somberly as his eyes flickered back once more to a more human glow. Tai growled lightly as he turned away.

"You are more trouble then you're worth." izzy seemed crestfallen as he turned for the door, stung by tai's cold words.

"You coming Sora?" the winged girl nodded as she floated after him, her cloak gliding at her back. Her long red hair seemed to float also like some angel from a time long past. The two disappeared into the darkness leaving izzy to his own devices. He stared out through darkness of cyberspace as though it were a insurmountable void. A chasm he would have to cross if he were to do what was needed of him. He prepared to jump the void. 

  
  
  
  


****

Intruder stood before the consol and stared down at it for a moment before swiping it with one of his blades. The machine cried out as sparks erupted outward like ash from a volcano. The device whined as it perished in a symphony of crackling wires and burning wires. The lights flickered in the area before surrendering to darkness which pooled around intruder.

It turned and made it's way down the corridor. It encountered more men which tried to shoot at it, though it proved faster as it elected to not waste time by killing them and mearly leapt over them and ran down the corridor. It was flying down the hall as it sought out the next to die. He turned the corridor and found himself staring at the ethereal figure of Mimi. She was at the other end of the hallway on the verge of entering a doorway. She was now frozen by terror.

The girl's hair was long and lustrous with the faint hue of fresh ginger. Her skin was milky like the ivory white of a china doll's face. this was mostly due to terror, but had intruder been human he would find himself drawn to lust by the sultry contrast between her blood-rose lips and her snowy complection. Her eyes were sparkling with fear as she glimpsed the razor appendages at either elbow which were painted scarlet in the blood of her comrades.

Intruder knew her. her file was present in his database and he would be wise to eliminate a key figure in Izumi's team. The girl stared at him in horror as his back erupted with exhaust spewing jets of blue fire. He shot forward upon her with his right blade raised for a downward strike. He was almost on her as he brought it down with intent on burying it within the beautiful young girl.

Steel screamed out sparks as the blind siding force threw the blades thrust to the left and down away from the petrified girl. Intruder glanced up and stared into the vengeful eyes of Taichi Kamiya. The scythe now pinned his arm to the floor as the cyborg demonstrated seeming shock when tai backhanded him across the face. though the robot felt no pain the impact jarred his sensors as it would rattle a human assailant who was not expecting such opposition. He reeled back as the scythe swung and missed inches from his neck. With a flash of forward thrusters the intruder shot back several feet out of range.

Mimi stared at tai with stunned disbelief and shock in his eyes. The boy had saved her from certain death. She could sense no ulterior motive for this action, that stunned her. a pair of feminine hands took her by the shoulder and pushed her back. Sora stepped in front of her and shrouded her away within the aspect of her wings. Mimi could only manage a glimpse of tai as he stood before intruder with a dark scowl on his thin lips.

She didn't predict tai would be willing to save her. she hadn't sensed a wisp of this kind of heroic action in his heart. But here it was being acted forth in front of her. that was both puzzling and stunning for she could not accurately see tai's soul. That made him infinitely more dangerous, but also infinitely more heartening. There was still a chance he would be the savior she had preyed him to be.

  
  


****

There are moments when you act that you can't explain. A random event occurs that in some profound way brings out something within yourself you never knew was within yourself. A glimmer of something buried beneath the coldest of waters.

Tai felt that glimmer as izzy had reported the first casualties against the intruder. It stirred from his core outward in a rippling tide which hit him with all the force of a tsunami. Though he tried to maintain his coldness tword izzy who had used him, and those who followed izzy, and were thus dammed by association, he knew he must do what he now did. The scythe was heavy in his hand, but it was less a physical weight as it was a burden of spirit.

The savior of so long ago still dwelled within him. The poltergeist of heroics still cast a cold and spectral chill through his being as it haunted him. The weeds of righteousness still grew within his cold and barren heart.

With a sudden war cry he launched himself upon intruder with slash after slash in such swift succession that the mechanized warrior found himself relying on fast pumps of his jets just to avoid the cutting edge. The battle became more ferocious as intruder countered slash for slash. Each dodging and blocking the other's assault with blinding speed. Tai leapt backwards and dropped to his knee as a decapitating blow nearly grazed the top of his head. He lunged forward with the scythe and was rewarded as he heard metal scraping metal. Intruder staggered backwards in shock as it touched the panel of armor over it's abdomen which now was split in a semi-deep cut. The circuitry beyond seemed unharmed, though intruder's sense of invincibility now seemed shattered. 

With a explosion of thrust, it launched itself forward in a bone-breaking punch which threw tai across the hall to Sora's feet. The gun panels slid open and took aim at where Taichi lay. But before the shot fired tai was moving. As the blast erupted outward in a shredding hail of weapon fire on the metal floor tai was sprinting tword it. As he was preparing to be blasted to bits a sudden burst of speed launched him against the wall which he sprinted across in a defiance of gravity. Intruder was caught by the crushing impact of his flying kick which hurled the cyborg through a door way which gave way like tinfoil. The intruder rolled on the ground as it's rattled circuitry assessed it's functionality.

It was preparing to re-enter the fray when it detected a metallic click of massive perportune. The moment lagged onward at half speed as he turned to find himself staring at izzy. The redhead scowled at him as he lay his hands across two colossal rail-guns which had been undergoing maintenance. These two massive and fully functional guns now sprang to life under the touch of this human with a cybernetic link inside his mind. His eyes flashed green as he scowled at the frozen assassin. The rotors on the two guns began to spin. 

"Connection terminated..."

  
  


The firepower of those two guns screamed louder then one could imagine. Fire danced from the spinning barrels as a pelting hail of gunfire screamed from them and pounded into intruder. The cyborg reeled back as the initial blast shredded his right arm to twisted scrap as though it were mearly foil. Intruder groaned out a robotic scream as it was planted against the opposite wall the onslaught poured over him like a torrent of hellfire which split open his chest compartment and riddled his inner workings with a decimating bombardment. The intruder splintered away along with the steel wall which it had been crucified to. The metal of both assassin and shredded wall mingled as izzy drew closer with the two screaming guns mounted to maintenance dollies. Thousands of bronze casings piled on the floor as izzy continued to hammer the intruder until all that remained of him was a smoldering mountain of shredded apparati which no longer even twitched in the death throws of a stricken machine. Only then did the cannon's roar dull away leaving only the stench of gun smoke in the clouded hallway.

  
  


As tai met izzy's eyes he was stunned by the boy. That was not something he expected of a tech. They glared at one another as tai withdrew his scythe and izzy released his control over the rail-guns. Tai didn't forgive izzy then, but he did comprehend how far this boy would go. His conviction was shown clearly by the extremes in which he had destroyed the intruder.

The moment was shattered as a panicky voice cried out over the intercom.

"Commander! We're reading close to a thousand of enemy units converging! It's Ishida!"

"It's time... he's come for us." tai spoke softly. koshiro looked forlorn as he nodded in agreement. He flashed back into the com and spoke.

  
  


"All personnel.... we have engaged Ishida."

  
  
  
  
  
  


Something looms upon the distance.

Something stands upon a foreign shore.

Something seeks you with a hunger.

Something's knocking at your door.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Not The End.....


	6. ﻿The origins of Sin

Whoa.. I'm a little rusty at this... here we go... Disclaimer :I don't own em. Ok time to clear this up because I know if I don't I will get one review complaining that I got my mon crossed... Angemon and Angewomon are kinda merged in this, I wanted to give Kari a new type of mech (well as new as griever from FFVIII is...) So I blended the two angels together for TK.

I feel so dirty... I almost made matt an object of pity in this chapter. ¬_¬' don't think I went pro Yama... I just decided that I wouldn't make it 100% his fault in this fic. Still gotta die though. Heh Heh Heh .... well thanks for being patient with me for this, I know it took a while. But we're drawing tword dark horizon's end. Hopefully it will have been worth the time.

Let me know what you think at: logan91235@aol.com 

  
  
  
  
  
  


Dark Horizon

by Logan  
  
  
  
  
  


"The origins of Sin"

  
  
  
  
  
  


"Sin... amazing how three little letters can shape a people. How within the aspect of that word's stretch it can form a cross to crucify you, or a archway to escape. My life has been shaped by sin. From the beginning it has existed, and from my beginning it has existed within me.

I was born in my mother's blood. From her dying womb I was pulled. Pulled into this place where all there is, is the sin that we bring forth. My father was a noble, and in those days all positions of power were closely held to the breast of the church. I was schooled without love in the ways of the monarchy. Taught to be a noble like my father. My willingness to be what they wanted of me was the first great sin from which all other's flowed out like branches from a gnarled oak.

The demons were growing more bold... they had attacked with a far greater ferocity then before, and thus the church ordered a holy war to exterminate Satan's minions in the name of god. 

God... I've lived so long and he's been there along with me. A shadow which haunts me. I've seen gods before, been molested by them. the Greydramon is a god... I cannot deny that, for he has made me what I am. My mission for the church and the father lead me to Greydramon, and Greydramon lead me to hell on earth.

The crusade failed originally, all my army died, as did those from the other lands who had joined with us in the effort. Except for six others who hailed from different lands, and one boy who got mixed up in the wrong fight.

Tai... he never changed from that boy in all the lifetimes. He was caught in the clash and when all hell was breaking loose... he didn't run. One peasant took the sword of a dead knight and fought the demons with us. He had no royalty in his blood, and yet he would be, within the passage of centuries, one of the most regal of us all. The peasant would later become our leader, and guide us into the jaws of hell. This commoner seemed to actually believe in what he was fighting for. Taichi hasn't changed from that boy in all these lifetimes.... he's still a idealistic fool.

Oh how the fates do toy with us. From the day we met that god of the digital earth, we have been its pawns in a game we dare not speculate upon. Is the Greydramon looking out for the benefit of the human breed? Or is it simply employing us as eternal enforcers of his rule? Be he benefactor or tormentor, we immortals are its hands. Our place in this world was lain out to us in the simplest of words... we are to prune back any evil from either world. Any consolidating force to oppose our god must be whipped away with the fury of eternal power. But once again... is that so Greydramon can stop any from challenging his sovereignty?

I believed in the benevolent dragon god once... believed enough to accept a sliver of it into my soul. Now I am over several thousand years old, and I no longer believe the fairy tale.

We were dammed by that devil, eternity without rest is as close to hell as I have ventured.

They say that sin is wrong... but those people are hypocrites. Is it a sin to make a better life for yourself? Is it a sin to master your own destiny? I think not...

Everyone in this world lives in those sins. They all want something... and I master my destiny by mastering theirs first. In the end I alone shall truly master destiny. I will go beyond Greydramon's so-called gift. I will do exactly what the dragon was trying to stop... I will make this world mine." matt put the journal down and slid it into the pocket of his coat. As he got up and made his way to the window which overlooked the onslaught. His forces were battling for their lives in a spectacular panorama.

The dark skies were glowing with light as mech's exploded in colossal fiery burst. Beams of white light exploded outward as beams discharged into the perpetual blackness. The silence of space was disrupted by the songs of conflict as death rode through them with blade in hand. These were mearly the foot soldiers in a war that would be fought by immortals. Matt knew this... and the time for his rising grew closer. He watched as the listener's colossal cannons gleamed with crackling energy before exploding outward in waves of destructive energy which ripped mech's asunder. The rail-guns sent forth hails of bullets out amongst yamato's forces. The pelting of both energy weapons and bullets was enough to reduce some of the attackers to ash and charred steel.

Above the conflict two mechs floated. The angemon and devimon. The two stood their ground as they watched the war being waged with lethal detail. They appeared to be waiting for something, or perhaps someone. Matt wasn't surprised by their betrayal. It was expected that the two would abandon all else to become three once more.

Taking his eyes away from the window, he made his way tword the destiny of his own design. A design drawn with utter and complete sin.

  
  


**********

  
  


the ethereal tides of fire surged upon the combatants like the sea's gentle lapping waves. But these were waves of flaming death. Mech's lurched upon the stillness which followed the tide in the throws of death. Some of their remains now hung lifelessly in the wake of a barrage, shredded and melted around the human corpse which hung within the metal coffin of dead steel flesh.

The listener was operating well, despite the sabotage. The main guns were sucking in energy and then expelling it outward in a lancing bolt of white energy. Those hit by such a beam were incinerated to ash, those close to it were either maimed or melted by the high heat output.

The enemy was ferocious as mech to mech combat took hold. The clashing tides of battle continued as mech's slashed and bit at one another in between volleys of special attacks which lit the heavens in a most un-holey light.

  
  


**********

  
  


Tai stood at the mech bay before Greydramon in a silent communion. He watched the red heart of the dragon thunder with fire. In a gentle rumbling. He felt the dragon's soul within himself pound in aching beats. He knew the need the dragon felt as he sensed the death that loomed like a black mist around so many. He wanted to be among them. Tai turned away and glanced down several alcoves to where Kari stood before a fearsome mech. 

The Dark Leomon was a fearsome winged lion. It's bladed wings hung around it with lethal detail as each jagged steel feather seemed to drip with blood and venom. It's body had a purplish tint which mingled with black and was interrupted by red striations. The muzzle of this beast spoke nothing of the once noble Leomon, in fact all his silent strength and gentleness seemed twisted to sheer horrific ferocity.

The beast's eyes gleamed pure white as it's dark heart thundered upon its chest like the tolling of a slave ship's drummer. The mouth was slightly open with frighteningly large canines and incisors. The steel mane gleamed white, only separated by the dark purple barbs which pierced it's flesh and now poked through the steel mane. Upon each forearm a colossal and serrated blade rested which seemed only slightly larger then the cloven talons on its hands and feet.

He studied his so called sister with great care. There was a bond between them... he could not deny that, but it still mystified him. The girl had tears in her eyes as she stared up at her partner. There was a sorrow shared between them as they fought in silence an eventuality which could not be bypassed. He didn't understand her sorrow... but he did feel it.

The listener shook under each volley received and delivered but all that seemed muted. Tai descended to her level and looked up at the fearsome mech.

"You talk to yours?" she questioned without looking up.

"Yeah... but he seems to talk more"

"The two of you have a strong bond... most pilots can't communicate with their mech so clearly for years... dark Leomon and I can do it, but it's still not easy."

"What does he tell you?"

"That he wants to fight... he is a virus type... they tend to be more violent then the other breeds. What does Greydramon tell you?"

"He feels responsible for this... he made matt one of us... so he feels guilty for matt's actions. He's frustrated that he is a mech... he feels weird being a machine and not a true digimon anymore. Apparently he misses being able to communicate with others... and other things. I can't understand everything he says... it's still hard to understand it all."

"You're going to kill matt?"

"Yeah..."

"Do you think things will be better after he's dead? Will it change anything?"

" probably not... but at least Sora will be safe..." he paused as he looked at her. "you're not staying are you? With izzy I mean..." she nodded sadly.

"He loves me I think... like a sister or like a lover, I don't know which. He's never tried anything... but I get the feeling he cares a lot for me." she looked down at her feet. "I don't belong with them, with him... it doesn't feel right here..."

"You're going to TK?"

"Yeah... we've been lovers before... we've been friends before too. I don't know what we are anymore... besides being part of the three. 

It's crushing you know... bearing this burden. Takeru and I aren't innocent anymore... the weight of our powers is too much for love to thrive in. Too much for anything to thrive in. We've got to reunite so we can stop matt and destroy everything that's been touched by this war. That means izzy's ship has to be destroyed too. It's too powerful to be allowed to exist." she touched the mech's foot and stroked the living steel.

"That's going to hurt him a lot... he loves the listener... but if it exists there will always be a threat. I'll miss it too.... after Takeru, Braedon, and I were cast to the winds, this ship became my home. I designed the atrium myself... and it's going to be me that has to destroy it. It'll destroy izzy too... he is the guardian of knowledge.... this ship is the symbol of that knowledge. When it's dust in the wind he'll be lost like I am."

"The world's gotten pretty damn bleak huh?"

"Yeah... and it's my fault." she reached up and touched her hand to the heart of the dark Leomon. As with Greydramon, the chest opened to her and allowed her entrance. Silvery tendrils of living steel gently took her by the waist, legs, and shoulders and guided her upward to the gaping hollow. As she took her place within, the chest began to close around her as the living vessel grew around her until only her face remained visible.

"Kari? When listener and matt are both gone... will you come for Greydramon?" he questioned.

"No weapon of great destructive power may be allowed to exist in this world, this is the duty of the last three knights..." and with that she was swallowed up in the dark lion. The mech roared a fearsome snarl as it's dark chest closed up. It stretched out it's giant wings and descended to the main floor where it vanished into the launching bay. Tai watched the lion as it disappeared with only a faint and fading snarl to signify it's presence had come and then gone.

The ship suddenly lurched forward in a way that it had previously not done. Tai steadied himself but remained troubled for a time. Something felt wrong now... that last lurch had meant something... the truth didn't come to light till the command's voice came through the com.

  
  


"Hull defenses have been breached... we have been boarded!" tai's eyes went wide as his flesh knotted to gooseflesh. The hair on the back of his neck stood up as he gasped out a terrified word. "No." He ran.

  
  


**********

  
  


A mech from izzy's forces shot up from the Frey to engage angemon who floated alongside devimon. The angel looked down upon the rising foe and extended his hand. The symbols on the forearm began to glow as it spoke softly and calmly in the voice of Takeru. 

"Celestial arrow...." with a flash of blue fire the open palm exploded outward in a volley of glowing spears composed of blue light. They whistled through the air as they collided with the young pilot. The foe was split into bits as the volley rocketed through him, only to pelt those who fought below in angelic spawned death.

"Why do they bother? They can't match us..." Braedon smirked as he enveloped two would-be attackers in an attack called "hell fire" which engulfed the victim in burning spheres of flame.

"They think they are doing the right thing I guess... killing the enemy. But they never had a chance against the devil mech and the angel mech. It's more a waste of life then anything else."

TK watched the war churn beneath them like a writhing animal in the throws of horrific death.

"She's coming..." Braedon whispered.

"Yeah... then they'll have something to see...." he replied as he used hand of fate to pulverize a bakamon from Ishida's forces.

  
  
  
  


**********

  
  


Tai bolted around a corner to the atrium where he suspected to find a lush paradise harboring a snake worthy of the biblical story of Eden. He found Eden, but saw no snake. The atrium was dark as pitch, with only the moonlight to cast a silvery glow over the scenery. The trees were black skeletons swaying with the ships movement. The water might as well have been blood, for as Taichi listened to it's gurgling he heard only the trickling of a cut throat.

"Greetings Taichi......" came the snakes raspy hiss.

He pulled out his scythe and held it offensively against the darkness which loomed before him.

" I see you haven't awakened yet... too bad.. Your night vision would increase... as would your chance at survival." the raspy voice chuckled. Tai couldn't follow its origin...

"I knew you would turn up matt... I'm not lucky enough to get rid of you for life."

"My how my little brother's sentiment has changed... I remember a time when you begged me to spend time with you... to escape with you. And now you want no part of me? Make up your mind."

"I guess I grew up a lot after having the one person I loved in this world try to cut me in half." tai spat back.

"It wasn't personal.... then."

"When you're ready, I'm in the mood to finish what I started on your throat!"

"Soon enough... but this visit isn't for you... I have a larger fish to fry. Tell me... how is Sora?" he smirked .

"You won't lay a fucking hand on her!" tai snarled.

"Heh, I plan to lay a lot more then a hand on her tai... but not what you've been laying on her." he snickered. "You know she isn't human? Well not entirely. So what does that say about you..."

"I'm going to kill you slowly you sick freak."

"Sure you are... I have the power of centuries of battle behind me... you aren't a match...."

"Why do you want Sora!?!"

"She's the key...once I have her nothing will matter anymore. Fate has been kind to me... imagine my shock to find that the last digital hybrid is actually our little Sora... this will be even sweeter now that you've fallen for her in this life. Imagine how it will feel to look up at me as I take her from you... revenge will never taste so sweet."

"I will never let you have her matt.. I have Greydramon... we will protect her."

"The lizard picked a poor partner in you... it sealed its fate by bonding to you... kinda like Sora did. Both of them are dead because you came into their lives..." he paused in his words.

"I'd love to continue this... but I will be needing to find her soon. No sense tempting fate by giving her a chance to run."

"She's not a runner matt... she's a fighter. Not that you'll get the chance to get to her..."

"Then I believe the phrase is... catch me if you can." the silvery figure leapt from the dark branch where he had remained hidden. He flew through the air gracefully until he landed upon the grassy earth. The second his feet made contact, he exploded forward. Tai gasped in shock as the impact threw him against the wall. The door was flung open and matt was gone.

"NO!!" he roared as he shot to his feet and gave chase. Matt was inhumanly fast as he ran down the hall. He flew like a dark raven down the halls as tai sprinted after him. The dark blur rebounded from walls as he periodically turned to face tai with a smirk on his alabaster lips.

Tai felt a fire burning within himself as he chased the playfully sinister Ishida down the halls. He felt his muscles burn as he followed. He was moving faster then ever before, but matt was still faster. The blond moved so fast that it appeared to be a blur of shadowy black.

He was closer to where Sora would be. He would find her soon... that thought changed something within tai. Summoned something primal. With a flash of white hot rage tai shot forward like matt had and grabbed him by the shoulder. In that instant he was able to throw the blond backwards against a wall which crunched against the impact.

Matt shook his head to clear the haze as he stared up at the fuming form of tai. The boy seemed on the edge of pure white hot rage. The scythe was shaking in his furious grip as matt groaned while rising.

"It seems you're a lot more powerful then last time I saw you. How... irritating." he withdrew his scythe and stood. His dark coat hung on him like the reaper's burial shrouds. The scythe glowed with the light of some dark torch smoldering with hellfire."

"I'm going to finish this here and now matt..."

"Doubtful!"

With a startlingly fast jump matt passed Taichi and was behind him. He moved like a wraith of transparent darkness. His booted heel flew upward and crashed against the side of tai's head. The boy cried out as the impact threw him against the opposite wall, which splintered under his impact. As he rolled to his feet matt followed.

"Heh, did you really think a human could fight an immortal? You're not awakened tai.... that puts you in the same place as a normal human stupid enough to try stopping one of the eight." As tai was just regaining his balance the back of matt's hand crashed against him, sending him through the stricken wall. The room beyond was larger, more empty. Tai rolled across the debris-littered floor to his feet where he regained a tight grip on his weapon. Matt was laughing as he ducked through the gaping hole in the room. He smiled hatefully to tai as he passed the threshold.

"You're stronger then before... but still just a child in the end."

"Like hell!" tai leapt forward with his scythe open and waiting. Matt leapt back to avoid the arc of the slash. Tai continued pushing forward against matt, who was evading the cuts with limitless speed and a seeming immunity to exhaustion. Blades rang out against blades in a symphony of scraping and clanging hits and near misses.

Matt's head lowered to avoid a decapitating slash. The cut went wide as matt stepped in with a barrage of his own. dozens of tiny cuts and gashes were carved into tai as he tried to pull back. Yamato was smirking with arrogance as he ended the onslaught with a boot to the mid-section. Tai crumpled to his knees several feet off and wheezed in pain as his arms trickled with red.

"You cannot beat me Kamiya... you never could."

Tai scowled up at him as his eyes burned with a dark hate so hot that it seemed to smolder in his soul. With a sudden cry of fury he erupted outward and drove his boot into matt's chest, hurling the man into a wall. Matt cried out as tai flung himself upon him. It was with no more then an inch leeway that matt dodged a slash. The scythe cut through the wall behind him with terrifying ease. Matt pivoted left as a downward cut ripped through the wall once more. Tai tried gutting into his mid-section yet due to matt's awakened power he defied gravity by leaping over tai. The black blur of his fist crashed into tai's back and planted him into the stricken wall. 

Now it was matt's turn. With his fists he began pounding at tai who was now trying to deflect the barrage, several blows nearly missed his head and instead punched through the wall to which tai was pinned. Matt was incredibly strong and seemingly felt no pain as he pounded both tai and the wall. 

Tai was growing hazy as matt stopped for a moment to regard him. He was bleeding a lot and now beginning to feel the dizziness of blood loss. He smiled. Then with one devastating kick tai was sent through that wall. 

He was slipping in and out of consciousness as he fell for what seemed like hours. The next room was the mech loading bay and tai had been sent through the twelfth level and landed several levels down on a catwalk. He felt every bone in his body ache as he lay there. Turning his head he spat blood and then gazed up hazily at matt who was staring down at him. From the twilight of his fading mind he could hear other people... izzy's people. They were calling out in alarm as they watched tai fall. And now they were in a pure panic.

He watches as matt leapt from the breach in the wall and landed with a certain grace on the catwalk. He was grinning. His strides were long and almost looked like there was a element of dance in them. Tai was dizzy as he heard the tapping of matt's boots on the mesh walkway as he leisurely made his way to end the fight.

As tai was considering the inevitability of his death there came a screeching cry as the walkway lurched downward in a shuddering impact. Matt had leapt out of the way of the onslaught, yet the catwalk was not so lucky. The blast of heat had crushed it and melted it at the point of impact and now the structure slumped off to a gaping chasm of still hot metal. The beam of energy had come from Sora who now was two stories above. She scowled at matt who stared up at her in a strange awe. Tai tried to rasp out a warning that he was here for her, yet he found no words.

"Leave him alone matt!" she roared as she perched on the railing, wings open and ready to slice the man in half.

"My Sora... you look different." she hissed at him in reply.

"I came here for you, you know....."

"That was a bad mistake matt...." she growled.

Matt turned to look at tai once more. His icy eyes shimmering with relish for this moment. Tai scowled at him as he tried desperately to shake the haze from his mind. He was painted red with his own blood now and felt every wound. He was worried that Sora was here now... right in matt's grasp. That fear became terror as the air around her changed. The air suddenly grew more dense as it took a texture of slick black oil and manifested to a form.

The demon emerged from its sickening birth with horrific speed. The world around it shifted and changed. The metal catwalk where Sora perched suddenly became a dripping structure of black slime which pulsed and then erupted into form like a pustule exploding and then being formed into the shape of a human.

Sin's eyes were glossy black as his face took on all the illusion of humanity it could. The black slime which gave birth to him shifted away back into normal air and a normal catwalk. Sora spun around as sin emerged, yet it was too late for her to evade. His back exploded into a pair of leathery black wings which seemed more terrible then words could portray. They were dripping with ethereal evil that puled through them in blood red veins.

Her eyes filled with horror as she stared at him. Then the look was wiped from her face by a bolt of black energy which erupted from sin himself. The dark lightning hurled her over the edge and planted her on the catwalk to yamato's rear. The stricken catwalk lurched further downward between tai and matt.

Sora remained still where she landed. Her silver wings lay sprawled across the catwalk railing as they slowly drew nearer to her in a strange fetal position. They then went limp and slumped over her chest. Her copper hair was matted and tangled as it lay on her shoulders and over her eyes. She was a fallen angel. 

Sin smiled down at matt with a thin and yet hellish smile before his form dissolved into the black sludge that vanished into the air. Yamato looked afraid as he saw the winged devil appear and now fade. He looked at the empty air where sin had stood with disbelief in his wide sapphires, and then to Sora, who was still not showing any sides of movement. The stunned disbelief faded away to a broad smile which came to be directed at tai. He began moving tword Sora with tai's closed eyes seeing every movement he made. She was breathing, but shallowly. whatever sin had done to her had been bad.

Izzy burst through the door to the rear of where tai lay sprawled out seemingly unconscious. He froze in horror as he caught sight of yamato drawing nearer to Sora.

"MATT!!!" he cried out with no strength to do anything else out of shock. He turned and smiled at izzy.

"Checkmate koshiro...." he turned back to Sora while izzy's eyes fell on tai.

"God no... he can't be...."

As fast as that horrible thought had entered izzy's mind it was dismissed. Tai suddenly rose from where he lay in a pool of his own blood. His hair was pressed to his neck by the blood which trailed his entire body. He looked far less then human as the scythe trembled in his hand.

  
  


"Oh my god! tai!" Mimi cried as she burst through the door, flanked by joe and several guards. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the bloodied Taichi. They filled with tears when they got to Sora.

"What happened here!?" joe cried as he surveyed the carnage. The mechs which still sat in their alcoves were all looking at the humans now with a seeming interest. Though without pilots to command them, they were acting on their own accord in a mystifying display of life.

"Has he triggered!?" Mimi cried.

"I...... don't think so... but I could be wrong."

Tai suddenly broke into a run across the blood soaked catwalk and from the edge shot into a impossible leap. He flew to matt with scythe out and ready. Matt only realized a second before it would be too late. He leapt away from the cut which split part of the catwalk off in a torrent of sparks and fragmented steel.

"I'M NOT DEAD YET MATT!!!" he roared as he sprinted for matt again. The blade split the railing from the catwalk as matt leapt upward to avoid the arc. He slashed at tai, yet the blow was stopped by tai's. Matt snarled at him as they parted only to clash again. Tai seemed fueled by hate as he flipped out of a downward cut which landed inches from him.

Matt shot forward and kicked him in the abdomen as he was preparing another volley. Tai seemed phased by the impact, yet didn't slow his attack. He chased matt as the blond was withdrawing several steps. Matt was unprepared for such a fast recovery and leapt from the catwalk to avoid a nearly fatal slash. He fell several feet, but landed on the wall and anchored himself with his scythe, which dug into the steel surface. Planting his foot on the wall, he rebounded upward to a catwalk below tai. He snarled as tai leapt off his level and swung onto the catwalk in a controlled drop.

"You're not going to win tai!" they met and steel rang out in a chorus of clangs. The spectators were stunned by the fight which seemed to be waged by two beings of omnipotent power. Matt leapt back and smiled.

With a fast cut he severed the support for their catwalk, and sent tai's half crashing downward. Tai managed to leap back to the original catwalk near Sora. He chanced a glance down to her and was relieved that he could still see her moving. Her chest wasn't rising and falling rhythmically, but the movement indicated life.

"Impressive tai... but still futile." he said as he climbed back onto the original catwalk.

"Go to hell matt!" tai summoned speed he didn't know he possessed and managed to bridge the gap between catwalks. He was nearly chopped in half as matt tried to use his momentum against him, yet due to a last minute pivot, tai slipped under the blade and slashed matt's chest.

Yamato screamed as he kicked tai away. He clutched his bleeding torso as he examined the wound. Deep, but not fatal. His pride however was wounded deeper then the gash on his chest.

Time moved slow as tai leapt at matt and matt lunged for Taichi. Their weapons met in a brutal clang which was deafening. The two blades shrieked out in pain as they both shattered in an explosion of shrapnel which pelted both of the combatants. Matt staggered backwards as tai fell on his back. He moaned in pain as matt shook his hand to cure it of the crushing impact which had debilitated it. The two scythes lay crushed and splintered on the catwalk as matt walked over to tai, still holding his hand in pain.

"You almost won..." he rasped with a voice more labored then before and far more ragged. His breath was scratchy as he tried to maintain control on his panting.

"I should kill you... but that would be too fast. I want you too live long enough to suffer more. To see what I have planned for Sora... and to know that this was your one chance.... and you failed." he staggered past tai on his wobbly legs and made his way to Sora. He lifted her from the ground with his good hand and slung her over his shoulder. She lay there limp as he leapt from the platform, all the way to the main floor.

He tossed her in a transport and turned to crush the scull of a guard who had been stationed on a lower level. Some pilots had joined the soldiers and were about to rush matt, but were halted as he threw the dead guard at them. The corpse collided with them and managed to knock them from their feet. Somewhere a soldier opened, but the commander was too fast, and made it to the transport. Activating the launching system, he propelled the transport out through the hanger and was gone.

Izzy had a hateful scowl on his features while Mimi cried and joe stayed silent. Tai was crawling across the catwalk after him on his hands and knees. He seemed unaware that it was too late for him to get her back. That he could somehow still catch her.

The others rushed to him and were pushed off as he roared in pain and agony and a sorrow so deep that it shook his bloody body to sobs. They stayed their distance as he cried hot tears and pounded the catwalk with his bloodied fists.

"TAI STOP!" izzy cried to no avail. Tai was repeating a name that must mean Sora even though he pronounced it wrong due to stress and grief. "Shara I'm sorry! Shara I'm sorry. Shara, I'm sorry" his fists had dented the catwalk and skinned his knuckles which bled freely.

"Listen to me tai! Get in control! It's not too late. That transport has a tracker beacon. We can find where she's going... but not if you lose it." joe yelled into tai's hair as he grabbed the boy and tried to restrain him. Tai was trying to throw him off but he hung.

"We can still save her tai! You can still save Sora!" Mimi screamed as she joined joe. The two held the boy as he calmed slightly his ragged breathing slowed as he whispered "Get off me." in a less hysterical voice. They complied as tai rose to his feet. He clutched his wrist, and for the first time they saw the twisted blade from one of the scythes. It had impaled him from palm to the top of his hand. It bled heavily and Mimi gaped in horror at the steel spear.

"My god.. We need a medical kit here."

"You were telling me the truth about the tracker.... we can find her?"

"Yes..."

"I've got to bring her back..." he replied darkly as the tears ceased. He gripped the steel blade with his free hand, and with a slurping sound slowly pulled it from his raw hand. Joe stared at him with wide eyes while Mimi and izzy grimaced in horror at the scraping sound of bone on metal. He groaned as the fragment was dislodged with a plop. he dropped the fragment to the ground and examined the hole in his hand.

with a look of hatred and a darkness deeper then any abyss, he closed his fist tight and let the blood trickle from his aching palm down his forearm.

"I'm bringing her back... and then deal with matt. I'll be dammed if I let him win this!"

"Greydramon?" izzy questioned.

"Yes... it's time to end this." 

  
  


**********

devimon and angemon watched the battle with some interest. Though neither side would be spared from their wrath... they did find the battle interesting. The darkness of space flashed with explosions and beams. Death was riding through the procession with weapon drawn. So many were being silenced in this battle that the two knights could feel their absence from this clashing sea once they were gone. Less of the fighters tried taking out the two stationary mechs who loomed above them. Their minds were now consumed with the more aggressive foes who were rushing them with weapons drawn.

It was then that they felt her. TK snapped forward as he felt the aura erupt from the conflict like a volcano. He could sense her approach and now his hands trembled. He had been able to feel a whisper of her presence when he made it to this battlefield, but now he could truly sense her. They were so close to being whole once more. He watched.

From the living sea of this conflict there came an explosion. A flash of dark energy which exploded and slung those caught near the blast away. Some were not so lucky and were caught in the heart of the blast. Now they floated on the tides of space with no hope of life still existing in their charred shells.

From the gaping wound she came. The dark lion exploded outward with wings drawn out. It looked to be some black phoenix rising up from the ashes. The Leomon was fearsome and horrible as it roared out into the night. In it's clawed hand it held the twisted remains of a mech which it threw back into the battlefield with abandon. A tyranomon flew up to try its luck, but the lion whipped its clawed hand around, and in a massive show of brutal power, removed its head. The mech plunged back into the Frey dead.

"KARI!" TK cried as she flew up to meet him. The moment radiated with so many unspoken words and suppressed feelings that the war being waged beneath them faded away into silence. They hovered together for a time without words, with nothing more then the bond between them which flickered like a faint current on the still and calm around them.

"TK..." she replied softly.

Devimon glided tword her slowly with sleek movements of his wings and serpentine tail. He remained silent as he studied her aura which hung about her like a whisper of what flowed through him. He could feel both of them. since their essence flowed through him he was bound to his siblings.

"Hello sister..." he whispered and her attention was drawn to him. Kari smiled at her brother with her whole heart. Time had cast the three apart and catastrophe had scattered them to the winds. Now they were restored and all cracks made whole. The one and the two had been made three.

  
  


**********

  
  


They had lived innocently once. One human and two sleeping immortals. A fire had changed that forever for them but this was no accidental blaze. The flames that kindled their destinies were different in a way that words had failed for so long. That fire had destroyed the colony which once was their homes. And those flames burned in the memory of the three.

Normal fire is golden and red, it can burn white if extremely hot, or it can burn in various color depending on what it consumes. But never had a fire burned like that... the black flames had swallowed up so many lives, and even after they were extinguished along with the colony, they would forever burn in three minds.

The colony had exploded in a ball of black flame and swallowed all within. TK Kari and Braedon were among the last to die... The three had been awakened in that hell only to be put to sleep once more, mere minutes after Braedon's ascension into immortality. They had gazed up in horror as the fire was preparing to claim them... they stared up at the glassy dome of the colony which now was streaked with crackling tributaries which soon would become breaks in the shell which held the fragile climate to the artificial earth.

Beyond that failing defense they caught sight of something. It was dark against the blackness of space, though much darker then the void itself. It was massive... fused in thick black armor with eyes of molten silver flame. The beast of blackness had dark and leathery wings which protruded outward in wickedly sharp blades of an almost skeletal design. It looked like a dragon spewed upward from the heart of hell, yet this beast seemed far more composed of hell then born of it. It was shrouded in darkness and hidden within the void of space. The starlight seemed to pool away from it in fear of the beast shrouded in this perpetual night. It's face remained hidden away in the hateful night, save only a faint shimmer of light falling upon its ample fangs which hung out in impossible perportunes. It watched them with a dark interest as the fires swallowed up large chunks of this land. though those silvery orbs of flame held no real continence of normal eyes, they did shine with a seeming mirth at his actions. the pain that radiated upward through the stricken dome now seemed as perfume to the hellish incarnation of a nightmare made real.

Takeru and Hikari held their awakened brother who was still partially delirious with pain. Braedon's blackened lips quivered with fear as he began repeating the words "black" and "monster" through his dry and faint voice. the name seemed ominously accurate as they both stared up at the hellish shadow which beamed down on them through the buckling glass shield. the name stuck with them as they heard a terrifying "crunch" that signaled the inevitable demise of the shielding, and the end of their innocent little home. oxygen was surrendered immediately to the vacuum, as was all hope of survival. the lungs burned and then burst as all the world faded away to a permanent darkness which would forever shroud all but three children who would later be reborn, healthy and alive, but still haunted by the last image their now dead eyes had brought to their minds.... a black monster...

  
  
  
  


**********

  
  


some said that the colony's demise had been due to a power surge which blind sided the environmental controls. the more notorious explanation for such a great loss was that the colony had been responsible for its own demise. this particular little colony was heavily funded by a military science facility. it came to be thought that something created there within had gone wrong and destroyed the colony with one cataclysmic act. perhaps a new weapon that triggered accidentally. a bomb or a cannon which went off during some routine and poorly supervised test. but to the three survivors of that damned colony they knew the truth... something made in that lab had gotten out...

"it's good to see you alive Kari.... we've waited for you a long time." TK smiled.

"I'm relieved to see the two of you together too. I'm glad you were able to find each other." she had a faint tremor in her voice that both the two boys recognized, but neither commented on. they felt it too.... a happiness in spite of all there was not to be happy about.

the moment was shattered by a mech's explosion that seemed considerably closer then those before it. the realization that a battle still waged was a shock to them, for none of them had any idea how much time had spanned. it was all business now... the three were reunited and now it was time to act. long overdue time actually. their mirth had turned stolid as smiles turned into determined frowns. their voices dropped to the ones used in battle, much quieter then before and with a faint sinister undertone.

"it's matt!" TK suddenly rang out as his mech turned to follow the faint tremor of his sensors. the mech in conjunction with the pilot could follow and aura of one of the eight. and TK recognized matt's essence from a great distance. with the angemon mech's eyes he was able

to see the transport ship flying through the melee of combat crazed Mecca. The pilot who must be Ishida was doing an immaculate job of skitting through the fighting and shaking all pursuits while evading weapons fire which nearly grazed the paint. The thrusters burned white hot as Ishida barrel-rolled through a hail of beams. 

The transport was now leaving the heart of the battle field and off in the direction of Ishida's base of operations which loomed far closer then any of izzy's team dared imagine. The shuttle was fast, and soon flanked by matt's forces who filled its wake in defense of their leader.

"He sure was trying to scoot out of there..." Kari mentioned.

"Lets start with him."

**********

Matt smirked as he saw the three while passing. It would seem that his instinct to kill TK and Braedon was well founded. Thankfully he had the opportunity to rectify that oversight. He reached over and flipped the ship's com, then adjusted the frequency.

"Alex, it would seem your dreams are about to come true."

  
  


**********

  
  


The three flew through the maelstrom on a pursuit corse for yamato. The three of them flew faster then most mechs could track as all three sets of wings stretched outward into the darkness of space. They seemed to pool their strength when together, to draw and consolidate it within each other. the three together were more then any other could ever be. TK and Kari's power was halved while separated, but with Braedon their powers were reunited. When the three were united, the full powers of hope and light were put to use, and even more so since with Braedon holding half of each, hope and light were in a way bound to each other. Where there were three knights, there was one power. And that was a truly awesome force.

The space twisted against them as some strange striation of light bent around the three. Strange light flickered like the tongues of serpentine fire. Thought partially transparent the fires of hope and light mingled against one another in an ethereal caress which was both awe inspiring and strangely fearful.

They were closer to the shuttle, yet suddenly thrown off corse by a blast of heat that hit them like a tsunami of hell spawned flame. The three were thrown apart in the tide of fire and sent rolling and hurtling through space.

Tiny fireflies of red flame danced in the void filled now with blackish brown smoke and raining soot that swirled in a gently rising cyclone around the shadowy figure within. The embers cast off seemed alive in the faint orange light. The smokey wall was pierced by the reptilian snout of the red tyranomon. It opened its jaws in a horrific snarl that advertised its massive incisors.

"YOU!" he roared. "You are the three!?!" he snarled.

Devimon raised up from where he floated and shook his head to clear the haze. He growled low in his throat.

"Gee great... a fan."

"I've been searching my whole life for the three and now I find out I have known two of them for years!" he was half yelling and half laughing as he screamed at them through the open com. Alex appeared closer to the edge then either Takeru or Braedon had seen him. The pilot had always been a little lost, in the sense that he followed that twisted religion which existed as a debauchery of the code of the three.

His code was a sick and molested version which placed the one above all else. While feigning piousety and nobility, the true nature of that code was to build an armor of ostensible virtue, which would shield the soft and loathsome flesh of what grew beneath. His core was one of violence and selfishness so vast that if it was balanced to his false exterior, his virtues would stretch out like a wall which found its moorings in hell and its summit in the heart of heaven.

His ego, however, was completely real. He took defeats and failures to heart and held them there until they spoiled and grew like a fungus within him. TK and Braedon had seen the look on his face when he rolled over for yamato. He failed to destroy Greydramon, and matt, knowing full well how to handle Alex, had rubbed his nose in that failure. Even gone so far as to use that damned scythe of his to slash the youth's face in a physical reminder which Alex would be forced to look at for the rest of his life.

Matt was many things, but he knew how to use people to get his own desires. Alex would be so haunted by that scar that he would sell his soul for the chance to expunge his failure. And now the great puppeteer had given the heretic the chance. Telling him how to find the holey grail of his false religion. And thus, getting him to kill three of the greatest enemies to yamato's real cause, which was not yet clear.

"We are the three Alex... the ones you want." TK replied with no lingering essence of emotion to his words. Only a coldness nurtured in this world without hope.

"I will become immortal...." he laughed.

"No... you won't. You don't deserve that gift, and that curse." Kari growled.

"Easy for you to say... you are eternal. But after I kill you, then I will take your immortality."

"You are a fool.... it's a waste of time talking to you. You want to fight us? Fine! Pick who you want." Braedon snarled as the devimon withdrew the scythe from his side and held it staff length. The pole receded greatly as the colossal blade spun on it's joint so that it now stood vertically on the pole. Shifting slightly as the scythe turned instead to a massive sword which trailed across the pommel and outward into a scimitar-styled blade. The weapon was dark and sinister in the faint ethereal glow of the heavens above.

Flames of hellfire burned in the dragon's eyes as it's breath came in soft puffs of flame which danced in space like snakes and fireflies of burning embers. The red finish of the mech's steely body seemed to be smolderingly hot while the things eyes rolled over to a fiery whitish gold.

  
  


**********

The world around them was ash and ember as the three clashed. The red tyranomon flew in stride with angemon in a test of speed which was soon augmented by combat. Claws to sword. Sparks spun outward through space as a dervish while the two barrel rolled through the emptiness with only death on their two minds. The red tyranomon was fast and lethal as it's claws coughed through the armored hull of the angemon.

TK suddenly opened his wings and with that rapid change of direction, brought his foot into the dragon's head. The momentum sent him rolling backwards several times until he came to a halt in open air.

Drawing back he spoke. "Hand of fate." suddenly a beam of white light surged forth like a spear of energy which narrowly missed the dragon's frame.

"Flame jet." with that said the beast's maw opened with a blast of fire which engulfed the angel. The fire continued to stream outward over the now smoldering steel with no relent. Embers rained like hailstones through the swirling mass of black tarish smoke.

Kari shot forth from that tempest with wings open and hands up in fists. From the lion's forearms erupted two steel blades. She slashed and cut as the dragon shifted its attention to her. the dark Leomon lashed outward with its two twisted blades, barbs, wings, and tail. With a sudden thrust of sheer strength she was heaved back, yet not phased.

"Nova flame.." the lion reeled back as it brought it's jaws upward in a fearsome roar. Light began to pool over the beasts features as its mouth was filled with liquid energy. Its open mouth salivated the liquid flame down its mane which burst into strangely hued flame. The beast's claws soon filled with dark energy which crackled like two live wires held in each fist. That dark fire spread from fists to arms and then to mane. As the two fires (one of silver and blue, the other of black and purple) mingled, they exploded forward in a swirling maelstrom of fire. The dark Leomon touched the beam with its burning hands and the beam began to swirl with both light and dark. 

The attack caught the red tyranomon square in its chest and held it. However, with a lash of its whip which had erupted from its arm, it grabbed angemon by the leg. The stunned opponent was soon hurled at the lion with stunning force. The resulting impact caused Leomon to loose control over its beam. The wild energy washed over a portion of the battle field which soon was followed by numerous explosions from the poor fools caught unaware, and thus destroyed.

The red tyranomon was reeling from the portion of that attack it did receive, yet managed to almost shoot fire over the two who were still temporarily stunned. He was cut off from this however as the devimon mech shot by him with sword drawn. The blade was devastating as the red dragon doubled over, clutching its lower abdomen.

Once again with the whip the dragon caught hold of the enemy and jerked it backwards. The devimon was tossed to his comrades, though not as roughly as angemon had been. The stricken dragon lurched forward and drew back. "Brimstone!"

From the beast's jaws a ball of black and crimson flame was expelled. The blast threw the dragon backwards as the ball tripled in diameter and rose exponentially hotter then before. The orb of fire continued to swell until it was the size of a small moon. It hit the three dead on and swallowed them up in the artificial star of hellfire. They hung there for a moment before the bubble burst and all the heat and fire stored within erupted like a super-nova.

Many of the mechs below the conflict bubbled and then melted under the sheets of fire which fell over them like massive scarves of sheer flame. The blast mushroomed out with both flame and billowing wreaths of smoke. Phantoms of fire split off from the pyre which was the three and then perished in a spinning frenzy amidst cold space.

The sky was a sea of smoke with breakers of flame. The whole sea seemed alive with movement as the flames and smoke mingled together in soft and sinuous caresses.

"Am... I immortal yet?" Alex questioned between ragged breaths. His hair was matted with icy cold sweat which mingled with the re-opened wound on his face. his face was pale and clammy as he looked out over the inferno of his own making.

"No...." his eyes went wide as the lake of fire receded and permitted a glimpse of three figures bathed in shadow. The wings which had been held defensively over them, now opened to full length as each dark figure floated before him. They were burned and blackened with soot, but they each lived.

"You... are.... the three..." Takeru drew his blade and held it forward. This was soon followed by Kari and Braedon. The three blades began to resinate with energy. The clouds of sulphur and smoke swirled around them now like phantasms under the spectral wind which stirred them. embers of fire seemed rekindled to flame in their presence. Where once only faint sparks of flame had drifted, now ribbons of fire swirled.

The three blades were now white hot as tiny veins of electricity flared between them.

The three spoke as one. "Tri-blade."

As the words were spoken the blades rang out with searing energy which washed over the three mechs. They were consumed within the strange and wondrously alive energy which originated from the smolderingly alive blades. The red tyranomon tried to reverse, and yet either his hand could not grip the control, or his mind could not grip his hand. He simply stared out at them in catalepsy as the living energy rallied itself from scattered soldiers of sparks, to phalanxes of sheet energy.

And then it began. With a speed that words could not give measure to, they came at him. They seemed less like mechs then they did like vengeful spirits. No metal gleamed, only the burning light which flailed on each. The first hit came from either Takeru or Braedon, they moved too fast too distinguish. The weapon traced a seam on his breastplate which shivered in duress. That was followed a microsecond later by a similar paper cut to his side, and then to his arm joint. The wounds came faster then anyone could counter as the three wraiths of energy shaped to resemble mechs proceeded to swarm him. He reeled back and thrashed against the specter's, yet only slashed open space. He was standing still to them as more fissure cuts clanged against his armor. The dervish of wounds grew even faster as the dragon found himself in the heart of a cyclone. Each cut was well placed, and though small, they began to take effect. Bolts were gradually split from their places, and after they split off, the armor began to disassemble.

He shrieked in pain as he began to whirl around in the dervish, seeking escape from any direction. There was none. The plates of armor or fragments of severed circuitry which were now detached from the stricken dragon were split even further until they were no more then particles of debris on the wind. 

Screaming in horror the dragon looked down to his claw which was splitting off into fragments which, when caught in the cyclonic wind, were lifted away and digested by the maelstrom. In hellishly slow motion the hand dissolved to fragments and then were pulled off. The severed stump was splitting as the hand had before it. Tiny cubes of armor were cut away so fast that the horrified pilot saw his mech dissolving in realtime speed. 

The tyranomon cried out in a flame spewing voice as it's face began to splinter away to the steel skeleton which lurked beneath. The armor was gone, and all that remained was the chipped and scarred skeleton. The connection between mech and pilot shared pain. Alex now reeled in agony and almost to insanity as he felt his mech's flesh shredded off with thousands of simultaneous slashes.

His head was thrown upwards in a jarring impact as a upward slash split his lower jaw into two halves which still clung to his skull. At that exact moment two downward cuts devastated his rib cage which now flung open like a rubber band snapping. The mech's amber eyes floated out of the skull's gaping sockets and drifted there before lense was split from sensor and then sucked away. He was vaguely aware that they were in a cyclone now. A cyclone of bits and pieces of his mech's tattered and decimated body. And then, just as the last of his sanity perished to the pain, it ended. 

Simultaneously three blades buried themselves into Alex, through the decimated rib-cage from three different angles all terminating in Alex, tip to tip to tip in the center of where his heart had once been. They hung there for a moment and caught their mutual breaths. The dragon and pilot both hung their heads to the side in a lolling manner with jaws slackly hanging... a grisly image of those who would stand against the three.

  
  


**********

  
  


Sora was crucified to the alter of technology with cables and wires in places of nails and crowns of thorns. Though she was none the less a figure of anguish and sorrow as she drifted on the edge of consciousness. The device pierced her at the wrists and suckled the wounds as vampires would through fangs as opposed to the steel needles which drank of her now.

She moaned with pain as she flexed in her dreamless sleep. Her wings had been pinned to the pedestal with steel cables that appeared strong enough to hold her. they were not however designed for such a purpose, they simply were to hold her upright while the machine drained her of her hybrid blood. 

The room was bleak and dark with the only lighting coming from the faint green glow cast down by a monitor which read Sora's vitals. The tubes which trailed from the angel's wrists fed off into a second machine which churned with motion as it spun a canister of her altered DNA in a turbine which separated the blood into it's most pure form. The waste was filtered away as chemical proteins, and a catalyst bonding agents were stirred into the soup in accompaniment of a second soup of base DNA. The mixture was being stirred to life by the machine's precisely measured ministrations. 

Soft tears leaked from the girl's eyes in the sleep which now held her firmly. Her features were shadow's of what they once had been. She was a bird which had been raised in a cage, released, and then captured once more. Though she knew this life of hate, and could very well be returned to it, she could not forget the world she had touched when the deliverer set her free. Tai had touched the last shadow of humanity within, and kindled the love long forgotten. Even in this bleak dreamless sleep she could feel the ache of that loss. Tears fell from her inhuman eyes for the first time.

Yamato watched over her from the shadows as he searched his heart for feelings. The image of Sora broken must have some effect on him, it must stir something. Yet he felt numb. He imagined he would feel pleased over this triumph over the girl that scorned him so long ago. He felt no pleasure. There was no guilt either, no sorrow to sour the moment, but there was no pride or joy to sweeten it either. He simply watched Sora with cruel and hellish indifference. That bothered him, he had existed so long, but if all that flavored life were stripped of him, then there would be an even greater hell beyond that which he now suffered.

"Sora... " he whispered as he studied her face which was framed with coppery hair that seemed to be more dull in this room then it had before. The device would not kill her... it was mearly splicing genetics from two subjects. It would weed out the unwanted characteristics and purify those which remained. But the goal would be the curse if he were to loose the ability to take pleasure in his triumphs.

"You don't know what to think do you matt?" he turned to find Sin the youth was smiling with some untraceable expression on his dark continence. In the dim light his eyes seemed even blacker and more like a void.

"What are you doing here sin."

"Watching my child in his moment of glory." he replied with a dark glee that sent chills through matt. He now felt all to clearly, he felt fear.

"Your... child? Me?"

"Yes... I never gave you life, but I have given you purpose."

"What are you talking about?"

"I am sin... true sin, not a name but a thing." he smiled 

"I have existed since before you... since the fall of angels and the birth of man. There was a battle so long ago... a battle of devils and angels. When my side lost, we were punished. Some went to hell and some were cursed to exist as wraiths. I was among those." 

"What are you talking about?!? you've lost your mind" matt barked.

"Please matt... don't be rude and interrupt. I've waited a long time to tell you this story." he cleared his throat.

"Wraiths are without body. I am less a life form then I am the essence of something. Evil. you see mankind is at heart, evil. and that is how I exist. I can only take form by possession of a living creature. And not just any living creature. It must be one that is more pure then others, an evil soul. The more evil, the less resistance I find when I squeeze my essence into theirs, it's a better fit. A soul more ruled by goodness is a struggle to claim, I must fight my way inside and destroy the soul before I may use the husk of a body; that is tiring and weakens me.

It is unlikely, but possible that one day I could fade away and perish. Every time I take a body I must confront their soul in a kind of battle of wills. The more good in that soul... the more of me which is lost. There is much more to me then any human soul, but it is possible that if humanity ever were to become benevolent, I would soon exhaust myself and.... die.

I have existed since your species was slumped on all fours. To think that you could potentially outlive me, that would be an insult. I cannot allow myself to perish... and that, my son, is why I have taken an interest in you."

"You can't be what you say..."

" I saw the eight... the humans capable of destroying the demon armies... the finest of your little species. Blessed by the dragon god with immortality. This was interesting news... beings with truly immortal souls... you were my ticket to never fading away. All I would need is one of the eight souls, and I would reign forever." matt was eerily silent as he continued.

"However... your eight souls were too powerful. I couldn't touch one of yours without depleting all I was in the effort. I was trapped... and so I made a decision. I could not touch you then... but I could mold you into a better host. I looked at the eight one at a time. Learned them.

All of you were corruptible in your own way.

Tai would falter if Sora guided him to it. That would do me no good since I could not become another digidestined. They were a difficult group to corrupt since they relied on each other, and thus guided each other. but then I came to you matt.

You were one of the best of them... one of the most righteous and powerful... but you were special to me. You were alone inside. Harboring a darkness that put you one step away from the others. It was no more then a shadow... but with me to guide you, that could become a true darkness which would turn to evil. your distance from them was the doorway I entered with."

"You are insane...none off this could possibly be true."

"But you know it is... tell me matt... how do you feel about me."

"Annoyed?"

"No... you're scared of me... and also... you feel like we've met before." matt was silent.

"We have met many times matt.... under so many different contexts... I have been so much to you. Teachers... friends... and several times lovers." matt paled.

"I would choose my host for you... I would pick those I could enter who would be able to shape you. As your wife, Rebecca, I guided you to putting your own needs over ideals like fairness and compassion. The sex was nice too." he smirked.

"As a friend I would gradually pressure you into things that led you further off coarse. Remember mark? He was the one to help you to understand that a woman only said no because she didn't know that she really wanted you. Mark guided you to so many things... taught you so much about choking pleasure out of life. Drugs... sex.. Killing. Those I taught you." matt was shaking as sin drew a step closer to him.

"But one of the most pivotal moments in our relationships came when I was called Stephan Kosh." matt's eyes went wide at that name. "That was when I had you... you were born in Germany... right in the middle of Hitler's reign. You were perfect for that life matt... blond hair and blue eyes... but you had doubts about the cause... weren't sure if wiping out the Jewish people was right. Heh. You knew it was wrong..

But then you met an older officer by the name of Stephan... he took you aside and brought you under his wing. He... well I calmed your fears and quelled your doubts. Helped you rise up in the SS... tell me matt... do you remember what you did next?"

"Yes..." he rasped out.

"Good... don't forget the lessons you've learned. The lesson's I've taught you. I've shaped you for centuries matt.. Small little steps tword today. When my work bears fruit."

"You made me what I am!" matt yelled with a sudden tremor of rage in his voice.

"Of corse not... you made yourself."matt cried out in anger as he grabbed sin by the throat ands slammed him against the wall which dented under them. His lips were pulled back in a feral snarl. Sin's smile faded.

"You made me what I am! You forced me to become evil!" matt surprised himself by the pain he felt at being forced into this life. He was ready to avenge himself on his secret "benefactor".

"You better be kidding yamato... You think I made you into what you are? You're lying to yourself... I pressured you sure. I stacked the deck so it would be better for you if you took my path. Hell, there were times if you said no, it would have meant a painful death for you.

Never once did I make you. You can't... evil doesn't reproduce that way. You can never make someone evil... just help them to make themselves evil." matt's grip slackened as the strength left him.

"Tell me matt... in all your life was there ever a time you didn't have a way out? You could have said no any time you wanted... but you didn't. You were willing to walk my path... because... you were meant to be mine." he smiled at matt.

"I wasn't always like this..." matt whimpered in defeat.

"Pity? Regret? Don't stoop so low matt. You are a success. You've done so much... and this was your own choosing. Tell me... would you be content to be one of them? Spending eternity serving that lizard? Wasting forever in piety? No? Thought as much." he laughed as he continued.

"You've always believed that you were using them. using the world to achieve your goals. Well so what if you were being used just a little by me. It doesn't matter... you still will win.. Be a god to all mankind. I ask nothing from you... well just the one thing."

"You... said you were grooming me to become your host. You don't call that a lot? You're going to just use my body like a puppet. I won't even exist..."

"Now matt... why would I tell you all this if that were all I wanted? That was originally what I planned... but over the centuries my goal changed. Immortality is tedious... I don't want to die... but I'm tired of the fight. Staying alive... one host to the next... always awake without sleep.

That's my punishment.. I decided that I would relieve myself of that burden. Through you."

"How?"

"You are immortal... but you have that period of sleep before you awaken. If I tried taking you now.. The period between death and awakening would kill me, for those moments you are innocent you see. That is why I guided you to learn of the hybrids... their kind have genetic memory... by blending your DNA to the girl's... you will remain awake indefinitely. And with my essence bonded to yours... I will no longer fear death.

I have watched your kind from its beginning, a monkey that crawled up the food chain until it became your miserable species. I am tired of watching your kind... use Sora to remain awake indefinitely... let me be one with you... I will make a place for myself within a corner of your soul. You were destined for this yamato... to be sin made flesh..."

Matt looked at him for a time with only a sadness in his sapphire eyes. He wanted to resist, yet felt inexplicably drawn to the youth. He had doubted him up until he began reciting the names of people he had known throughout his life. People who had, in retrospect, guided him to this end. He looked at the face of the boy with the black eyes and he suddenly could identify the fear he felt for him. He felt drawn... attracted to this boy. The fear was a buried understanding of what lurked behind those black eyes... the same thing that lurked behind his own.

"You feel it matt... you want this."

"...... yes." he whispered in a rasp of air.

Matt released the youth and turned to the machine which churned with motion. He pressed several keys on the tiny touch pad. The result was the formation of a small opening, only slightly bigger then the average fist. From within the recess there came a crimson glow which resembled a smoldering oven. Matt's eyes were haunted as he stared into the red light. Sin stood beside him with a giddy grin on his bleak and hellishly stolid face. He looked on the edge of bursting into fits of hysterical laughter as matt drew in one slow breath.

With a sudden growl of determination he cast his hand into the oven of red light. He took hold of the small bar in the very back and heaved back with it while turning it clockwise. The thing clicked into place. With a suddenness that startled matt the machine went to work with brutal efficiency. Four steel needles erupted outward and into his forearm. He lurched with pain as the steel spikes buried themselves into his bone. His hand now squeezed the grip bar in agony as the recombinant DNA made from Sora's and his own was introduced into his bone marrow.

Matt growled with pain as the machine forced this altered DNA into him. Sin watched with a certain dark glee as yamato bore the pain through clenched teeth as his cells twitched and shifted in a bubbling fire. He looked to sin with his eyes flaring with the fire which burned inside him.

"It is time for your destiny to be realized yamato..."

Sin's mouth opened wide as he fell to his knees like a doll. From his gaping mouth two nostrils and vacant eye sockets a black smoke wafted out. The boy who sin had taken wheezed out the essence of his master with straining contractions of his lungs. Sin seemed to be a gas in essence, though it was no gas, more like a liquid shadow which moved like thick smoke. The boy's mouth was wet with drool as he began shaking with the withdrawal. He didn't loose bladder control, though it seemed plausible that he might.

The malice made smoke wafted upward and away as the boy screamed without words in a silent agony. It was as though without sin to sustain him, death was twisting it's cold grip around him. The boy's eyes were sunken deeper into his skull, they were not normal eyes now that the perpetual blackness of sin was gone, but instead a Bache yellow which was filmy with cataracts.

The dark cloud left him all together as the last lingering tendril of smoke slipped away through the corner of his mouth. His physique was different now too. All the body fat and even the organs seemed to have shriveled away. His chest was pale and tissue-like skin held over reddish black bone. His flesh was almost transparent over the skeleton as his loose flesh wrinkled over his empty stomach and over the legs and arms once laden with some muscle.

Matt stared up at the cloud of living evil with no more fear. He mearly looked at the swirling maelstrom of blackness with a sadness that this truly was his destiny. 

Matt had always felt himself in control of his own destiny, but on this dark day he learned an even darker truth. He was the puppet of another god. Where once he had served the Greydramon... now he served sin. He had seen this blackness before, once long ago in the digital world. Inside a cave the blackness had watched over him. That blackness had followed him his whole life... and here he was on the edge of ruling the world, a puppet to a darker master. But that was his new place in this world... he was sin's .

Matt didn't exactly know when it was that the cloud of evil took him. He suddenly found himself breathing the evil into himself like lungfuls of fragrant smoke. It wasn't painful, just strange. He felt the essence of sin enter him. The demon had not lied... he never felt the creature struggle to assume control. He found himself slumping to the ground from the genetic restructuring and the possession. Sin was knitting himself into matt's new genetics, junctioning his power into yamato's.

Matt felt his body suddenly shiver with a strange new aura of strength that could be either Sora's genetic influence, or sin's. He wanted to cry out, but found no words. With a sudden snarl he ripped his arm free of the machine which ripped away in the effort. Matt was stunned by his action and even more so by the lack of pain he felt. He carefully took hold of each of the needles, which still impaled his arm, and pulled them out. The wounds bled, but not badly.

The process had begun... he would now possess the power of the hybrids... the ability to remain awakened upon re-birth. He would never loose his grip on power... for as long as time itself he would reign.

Matt was startled as he looked over to the alter of machinery where Sora had been. She was now gone. She must have slipped away while he was becoming Sin. She must know what was going on... and though he was angry that she had slipped away, he was not infuriated. He would have plenty of time to hunt them all down... matt laughed low in his throat with a darkness that seemed almost like sin's small and yet hellish laugh. He glanced down to his wrist where the tattoo now trickled outward with thousands of black veins.

Friendship was changing within him... sin's dark presence would alter him... as would Sora's contribution to the new and improved yamato Ishida. He watched as the crest pulsed on his wrist, forcing more and more of the darkness outward through his altering body. He wasn't sure what it was he was turning into but he was sure either greater or lesser, it would not be human.

He walked over to the wall and opened the port hole which was covered by armor plating. Beyond its threshold he watched as hundreds died in fiery explosions, as digimon and pilot killed each other all in his name... his new name... and as matt spoke he was unaware of the tears which ran down his cheeks. The last tears of who he once was.

"Sin... sin was my father... it made me and shaped me. Sin is the force which shapes the species.. The power which moves men to kill and to die. Destiny is mine now... the hopes and dreams of all that live are mine now... I can give them their dreams.. Or I can give them their nightmares. I am the force which shapes all things... I am the momentum which stirs the soul.

I am the future... I am Sin....."

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Our lives are trees in a garden

each choice you make forms a branch on your tree.

The good choices create strong and majestic boughs,

while the bad create twisted and gnarled limbs.

To forgo the choices, your tree will be bare and ugly.

Like the tree, you are given time to grow.

You will be nurtured by the sun and the rains for many years

until the day comes for the gardener to take a step back and judge how you have grown.

That is the time when some trees are pruned of all rotten branches,

and others will be up-rooted altogether....

  
  


Perhaps it's not wise to take gardening philosophy too serious,

but then again....

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Not The End...


	7. ﻿Where dreams end and nightmares ...

Disclaimer: I don't own them. ya know... I think angel is a bad influence on me. I'm starting to be a little too capable of writing angst. This one might leave some in need of tissues, probably not though cause I'm not the best at this kinda stuff. It'll probably just be corny. This is the prelude to the final battle. So I would guess 2 more chapters until this fic is done. I don't really no what else to say, so I hope you like it.

Mail me at logan91235@aol.com 

  
  


Dark Horizon

by Logan

  
  
  
  


"Where dreams end and nightmares begin."

  
  
  
  


Tides of fire washed over the open battlefield like frothy waves in the ocean. Upon their pluming froth these swells carried with them debris, caught in the lapping phalanxes of the tide. Fragments of a thousand different deaths spun off with a silent serenity into the black void which swallowed them up. 

Sound was muted in space combat. It was all the more sinister since all that could be heard is the sounds of conflict. There was no blowing wind, no faint call of a distant bird. The was no tranquil water gurgling softly in a brook. In space the silence is the only background noise you have. Every clank and thump is a noise made by something that shouldn't be there in space at all. The sounds of metal in its dying throws twisting off in wailing shrieks to the faint bass of sputtering engines which lurched and gagged while straining to run to the wills of their now dead creators.

Space was not a place of life.. Earth had once been such a place, but that ended with man's own doing, and now he carved out little oasises of life where life should never have been. Space is emptiness, as cold as it is empty and the little species which had destroyed its home tried making a new one in this barren void. Some might think that after destroying your world and almost pushing your race to extinction that you would be more careful with the new world you made for yourself. It would seem however, that mankind didn't think like that. The faces of war looked out across the open space with cold and dead eyes that, unblinking, seemed to miss what really should be seen.

The emptiness was filled with distant sounds that echoed off from all around them. the sky was no void in the heart of this battle. The stars hid their light under the black tarp of smoke and gas which swirled through the combat. The stellar cloud would periodically erupt with lightning given the form of laser. Beams of various sizes would flare through the night as a herald to the life which would end in a soft puff of flame and smoke. Like a great flock of quarreling birds the Mecha battled. The air combat was dazzling as the faster mechs skirted across the lake of fire like dragonflies snapping up the slower and weaker little mosquitos which darted crazily about the battle.

The swarm congregated around the colossal barge that almost looked silver and onyx black in the darkness of space. The barge flared with soft rose hues periodically as the lessor cannons unloaded upon the swarm. Listener thundered like a Norse god as it hurled beams out as Zeus would lightning bolts. The output was staggering as the vast sky of swirling smokes were illuminated. In volleys of ruby light the swarm was pierced. Listener was no more terrifying then now as the front lines were reduced to cinder under its ministrations.

Izzy's forces were pushing them back mainly thanks to the listener. Yet as they managed to clear the first wave they were greeted with a grim sight. 

The second wave of even larger magnitude waited on the surface of a colossal asteroid. The stone was equivalent to a small moon, though this moon had a darker agenda. Koshiro's forces seemed shocked as they were called back suddenly, yet once the reasoning became clear they found themselves increasing speed tword listener's side.

  
  


**********

  
  


"Dear god..." izzy muttered as he stood on the bridge staring out through the monitor at the asteroid. It had slowed its pace to a crawl as the remaining forces retreated to their respective bases.

Asteroids were mainly minerals and ice, yet this structure read no condensation, instead it shelled the military complex where Ishida had launched his campaign. The structure was ominously dark as the clouds of mechs swirled around it with a seeming giddiness. Izzy's forces stood their ground, though there was no sliver of mirth which resonated out through their phalanxes.

"He's been hiding there the whole time... his base was right in plain sight from the beginning." joe gaped.

"I wish Kari were here." Mimi whimpered.

"It makes perfect sense... an asteroid fortified by a steel alloy would be virtually impenetrable.. It's genius on matt's part..." izzy gaped as he stared at the titan of a base.

It seemed to be larger... a black planet which would swallow them all up.

"Sir... we are receiving a hail from the enemy base." the young helmsman croaked with all the solemnity of a funeral march.

"Lets hear it..." the officer nodded and the screen turned over to a shadowy figure. Matt was hunched over the com which was bathed in veils of shadow. His eyes however, were a radiant blue, so perfect that it seemed to out do the skies of earth even before the smog. He had ripped the lights out of the console for they flared with silvery sparks in the distance. His voice was a smoother hiss then it had once been as he spoke.

"You've lost koshiro... I have surpassed you all now. Sora has given me the gift of eternal awareness. This battle will not end well for you izzy... even if your ship crushes every last man on my side, even if you burn me with all those nice little laser cannons of yours, I will be reborn as I am now... awake.

My mind will never sleep.. Death is nothing to me now that the girl has leant me her essence. There will never come an end to my domination of all that is... I will simply rule for all eternity.

Give up digidestined... there is no future for you in my bad favor. Lay down your arms and accept the destiny I offer you. Become my brothers and sisters once more and sit at the head of my table. You cannot save these people... not anymore. But you can enjoy eternity by my side.

Sora's hybrid DNA has changed me. Evolved me... none of you can stand against me now.

If you persist in this battle... I will crush you now and for all eternity. Come my fellow gods and rule these people with me..." izzy turned to the navigator,

"Kill the connection, I don't want to hear him anymore." as ordered, the screen returned to a view of the asteroid.

"He... he wasn't lying." Mimi whispered in a terror stricken voice.

"He can't be... what he said, can he?"

"It doesn't matter... we have to keep fighting him." izzy growled as he turned the doorway which slid open. Tai stood there with a black glove covering the dressings made to his hand. His eyes were dark and filled with some hidden emotion that boiled silently behind the chocolate orbs. His handsome features were cold as ice as he looked at them. He turned to izzy and smiled a small and yet fearful grin.

"Are we ready to get her?" Izzy nodded as his eyes flickered to a soft emerald glow. His voice faded through the intercoms with a saddened and seemingly forlorn tone.

"This is comander Izumi... all personnel are to relinquish ship control to me and bored the escape pods. Effective immediately. As his eyes flickered back to normal the ship was filled with a low warning alarm that signaled abandon ship. Mimi and joe stared at izzy incredulously as he turned to tai and smirked. Tai smiled back.

"You're abandoning ship?" joe gaped.

"Tai and I discussed this. Unnecessary risk for the officers to stay aboard listener for this... it's going to be a rough ride. Only Taichi and I are going to take this mission. He will be boarding Ishida's complex while I control listener through my uplink." tai crossed his arms and smirked at izzy. The boy didn't know if it was amusement or if it was him bonding with izzy. He no longer cared..

"Rough ride? You're going to take listener close enough to board!? That's suicide!" Mimi cried out.

"Sora was taken... I owe both of them a lot. I will help tai get her back.."

"But izzy..."

"Listen, we don't have time for this! Get to an escape pod now!" tai snarled suddenly short on patience with them.

"No!"

"Both of you... I need you to tend to the escapees. Kari is no longer on our side... matt's forces are going to give us a seriously hard time. I want both of you to protect my men." the two looked at izzy for a time before heading tword the doorway. Half way there Mimi spun around and ran to him. Izzy was shocked as she kissed him on the cheek and held his face close to hers.

"You can't leave us yet izzy... don't let yourself get killed." and with that she was gone.

  
  


"She cares a lot for you koshiro..." tai replied as he looked at the dark asteroid looming in the distance.

" I know... you know that odds are you Sora and I will die trying this..."

"I know..." tai replied softly.

"Then let's not disappoint them by making it an easy kill."

"Heh... I'm starting to like you izzy... you're a backstabbing little pain in the ass that never shuts up about techno-crap, but you really know how to party!" tai laughed softly.

"I'll take that as a complement.. So lets get this party started with some noisemakers."

"Fun..."

**********

  
  


Listener's hull slowly erupted with twenty large pillars of that rose up and halted thirty feet from the hull. Their elliptical forms opened in unison like double doors, and from that gaping darkness hundreds of escape capsules ejected with flares of thruster flame, they shot off into the distance where the earth glowed below. They would land safely on the planet's surface, and there, joe and Mimi would protect them... keep them alive even if izzy should die in this final clash with the fallen digidestined. 

He watched as his people descended to the planet without hitch. The three would not stop them... and matt's forces seemed indifferent to their defection from battle. All eyes were on the majestic listener.

The columns that had harbored the escape pods now returned to the shell which stood unblemished. Izzy's people were waiting too.. The mechs on either side were all on the verge of a sudden colossal offensive. This was a war of attrition on the highest scale. All that remained to be seen was which side would make the first move. It was answered.

Listener's lighting flickered away as the ship's power cells seemed to drain. Then with a lurching sound, the armor over the front hull shifted and split. The ship's armor shifted away to reveal a gigantic sloped dish in the center compartment. Plates of steel folded outward as listener's hull took on a new shape. The engines whined as the ships' gaping jaws were fully exposed. From the back two colossal engines locked into a mounted posture over a more stream line ship. The transformation had ended and yet the plates of armor on both bases trembled. Listener's core hummed as bolts of energy flared between the three armored segments that split and re-shifted to form the cavern.

The sparks soon grew more violent as the core, which terminated in a lense that flared with light, began to pool with ethereal energy. The core soon whined with stress as bolts of silver lightning sparked and flared from within. Ripples of heat twisted like apparitions of the long dead around the ship and its hull. The three armored jaws burned with white flame as the core's energy swirled like a storm.

The heavens rumbled as the clouds of smoke and flame began swirling to life around listener. Matt stared out at the light with a stunned expression mirrored by so many. The ship itself was a weapon... one colossal ionic cannon.

Izzy's eyes flashed black for just a moment as his attention turned to tai.

"Now would be a good time to hold onto something."

The beam surged outward like a bolt from the heavens. The ray bridged the gap between listener and asteroid in a heartbeat. It enveloped countless enemy mech's which were no more then soot within a second's elapse. The asteroid was in the dead center of the beam, and as the lance of energy pounded it. The heavens shook. Searing heat scorched and melted the asteroid's steel armor which lurked beneath the decimated mineral wall which had crumbled away.

The swirling tides of white flame splintered away fragments of the instillation. Portholes exploded inward as the heat swallowed up all that were caught within. For the most part the base was surviving with only minor breaches in the crew quarters. The real depths of the asteroid remained unscathed even as bolts of residual energy pounded the installation. Stone and steel twisted off and were consumed as the beam continued to hold its fury upon the base. The listener was violently trembling as some of its armor began to melt and fuse together while other portions cracked and dissolved like hot glass rapidly cooled.

The mechs which had hung near either ship now bolted farther past in an effort to avoid the searing heat. They watched as the listener's wrath pushed both ships farther away. It was a testament to the ship's construction that it stayed on mark and stayed in one piece despite the quaking tremors which shook it to its core.

The listener shook and trembled as the massive beam faded away to only sparks and embers. The asteroid looked torn apart with fragments of stone mingling with melted steel, yet it remained undestroyed even under the barrage.

  
  


**********

  
  


"can we hit it again?" tai croaked as he still clutched the rail which had held him through the blast.

"No... the main ionic cannon drains the ship's weaponry and shorts out the targeting systems. All we have now is propulsion. I knew it wouldn't destroy it... but if there's any way in hell you've got a chance... it's that the base is pretty torn up. We can only hope Sora wasn't caught in that...."

"she'll be ok... I feel it."

"Better get ready then tai... it's almost your turn."

"I'll be ready if you can get there without getting us killed first."

"Big if..." izzy replied

  
  


**********

  
  


"All forces... charge!" izzy commanded through listener to each mech's comm. The command was met with faithful obedience as hundreds of mechs shot off in the direction of the smoldering asteroid. Listener shivered once more as the swarm of Mecha shot off so ready to die.

Izzy smirked as his eyes flared green. Listener lurched forward as several small explosions from within punched through the thick armor. The ship split away like a clam shell as the thick armor, components for running the ionic cannon, and crew quarters were shed like a serpent shedding skin. They drifted there in the stillness of space in silent serenity. Listener had been designed to fight a war if the need arose... and, escape to fight another day, should that need arise.

Listener had lost half its mass, but still the ship was massive. Un-shed were the thrusters which had once moved the behemoth listener, those same incredibly powerful engines now fired up to full speed with a much lighter ship that exploded forward under the thruster's low and godlike roar. Izzy's eyes were glowing emerald as he balanced the ship with his mind. He stretched out his link to such an extent that he feared his brain would cook with the residual electricity it was generating for the link.

Listener's speed seemed to triple as it flew through the debris with all the grace of a bird of prey. It hung lower to the sea of smoke and flame which still churned. The ship's wake rippled off the sea of smoke like a dragonfly's as he skimmed off the still water of a cool translucent pond.

The ship was now neck and neck with izzy's forces as they entered the asteroid's range.

Like thousands of shimmering fireflies the guns fired at will. The flaming wasps whizzed by as the mechs scattered in all directions. The asteroid didn't have a fraction of what it once had before the ionic cannon's discharge. But it was still armed enough to fill the sky with fire.

The nimble vessel rolled and pivoted as it dodged much of the barrage. Each turn cast up a foamy wave from the ocean of fire which flung off into cold space where it dissipated to nothing. The colossal ship was dazzling as it twisted and leapt up to avoid the artillery which crashed to either side of the mighty vessel. The shots flared all around it as izzy spun the ship out of danger with only a foot's distance from peril. Mechs were battling all around it now, yet no foe seemed capable of landing a blow on the ship with the mind of an immortal.

It stood before the dark and gnarled asteroid. The shadow it cast overtook the listener as the dark instillation loomed like a dark god before the smaller silver ship. Izzy had no weapon save the ship's own mass. Guns trailed low and locked on as the listener suddenly was lurched vertically and sent to the left. The ship's lower hull crashed against the asteroid which buckled under the impact. Though listener cried out with the sound of crunched metal it didn't dare slow. Pulling away izzy circled the base. Bringing them side to side he chose his moment well. On the most bare and decimated portion of the ship's armor. As it came to this portion on the next rotation it fired it's grappling cables. Eight in all, these massive appendages slammed into the asteroid. Their clawed grips sunk in like the talons of a eagle to the fish. All eight dug in deep and went taut instantly as listener increased speed. The cables held to the asteroid and proceeded to wrench it with the ship. The base had no thrusters to match listener, and soon found itself pulled in a discombobulating spin along with the vessel. The targeting guns couldn't get their bearing on the ship due to this sudden change in momentum, that wouldn't last.

Still caught up in listener's web it was impaled through the weakest section of armor. The cylindrical syringe was just big enough for it's fare. The umbilical chord connected the two as tai waited for izzy's signal. It came fast.

"Now tai!" as he spoke the seal broke and air rushed into the tube. Tai found himself sucked forward and downward into the stricken base. If he were anyone else this reckless boarding method might break his leg or his neck, but as testament to who he was, he landed with no more then a pained thud.

Ishida's base looked decimated inside by the blast's heat. The metal was warped and fused. Tai had no time to really assess the condition of the base since the umbilical was more fragile then porcelain. Should it break, he would be sucked out to cold space.

Acting with sudden urgency he grabbed the gun and bolted for the door he glimpsed from the corner of his eye. He tried the control panel only to discover that it was melted and fused together. This was bad. The gun would be too slow and the combat knife he held in his boot was no scythe. He opted instead for the explosive in his side pack. Fishing it out faster then he though possible, he applied the magnetic explosive to the center of the door's joint. Clutching the detonator in his hand he frantically surveyed the room. It was a crewman's quarters, now destroyed. He chose the bed as the best shield and with a sudden heave of strength, propped it over him. Tai strained against the bed's weight, but preyed it was as thick as possible. Gritting his teeth, he pressed the detonator.

His ears ached as the sound assaulted him along with the force of the explosion which threw him and the bed against the far wall. He was lucky the link between ships was undamaged, yet that wouldn't last. Izzy would try to keep them joined for as long as he could, though that meant nothing since any second one ship would be hit and open this room to the void.

He pushed the bed off, which now was smoldering with burning debris, and looked to the doorway. Blown open. Gripping his gun so tight his knuckles ached he ran through the doorway. There was a guard advancing, he pulled his gun and blew the man away before he could register what had happened. Tai sprinted for the far door just as the listener was hit and the link destroyed. Tai gasped as the pressure pulled at him like a leash, by sheer muscle he made it to the door which opened without hitch.

Tai gripped the doorjamb and pulled himself in. Then managed to seal it behind him. Alive for now, but probably not for long.

  
  
  
  


**********

  
  


tearing loose of the grappler cables the listener spun off. The asteroid's gun turrets were faster then he predicted as they locked on and pelted his hull with fire. The jarring impacts had destroyed the umbilical, and perhaps in that act, killed Taichi by exposing him to the void. Izzy had no time to think of tai now... he was on his own just as the young assassin was. Both were in mortal danger should both still live.

Listener trembled as izzy heaved it into a turn witch evaded a stream of fire. There were no weapons still available to the young scientist save the ship itself. And he was willing to kill himself using that weapon if it meant an end to this base which would leak a toxin cable of destroying the world should it remain.

The listener turned and took several shots to its front hull before it charged the base once more. The shells ripped into the metal with groaning cries as listener reeled with them. Izzy waited until the last moment before straining with the helm and sending the listener into a spin. The collision pulverized the steel skin of listener so that entire wings within were dinted and crushed. Koshiro had planned where to strike as to cause listener less damage. The area on the rear and side were less populated by important machinery. He could pound with this section of the ship until the whole thing inevitably would give way. Izzy doubted he could truly destroy the base with only listener's battered hull, but he could die trying.

More shots made contact with listener's armorless hull. They ripped massive holes in their wake which left flames and gasses filtering off into space. Izzy suddenly realized he wouldn't make it that long. Listener without armor was no more then a colossal target. Eyes flaring green his mental computer calculated his own dark fate. Statistics are the language he most fluently. He thought like a machine and had the same sense of hope that a machine has. Numbers didn't lie... he would die trying without much hope of success... but by god he would try!

Listener impacted once more. More systems went redline and burst inside. He was preparing another run when something happened. A beam of dark light erupted through the asteroid and straight into listener. The ship was hurtled off in a vertical somersault which ended unceremoniously as listener crashed into a clump of dead mecha which splintered off in individual parts.

Izzy groaned as he surveyed the source of the blast. It made no sense. There was no energy cannon, much less one that fires through the instillation from its core. But plausible or not... listener had been impaled with that blast. Izzy's ship was given a truly mortal blow as air began leaking from all sections. One last chance. Izzy sealed the airtight bridge. He would asphyxiate soon with no flowing oxygen, but he had no chance.... the base must be destroyed. Earth gleamed below with so many dashed dreams that it seemed to radiate lost hope. His people were down there now... waiting for the end. And as the computer within his mind formulated a plan it became clear he may as well supply that end.

With sparks of emerald in his soulless eyes, he lifted the listener up once more. A final run to a final end. He was now the murderer he had taken matt for. This would be a potential act of mass slaughter, but it was the last option he could think of. Listener groaned as its engines screamed with far more force then they should safely be asked to supply. The ship now barreled straight into the fray. No dodging. Listener cried out with each blow that shredded through it.

Engines overheating the gap was closed. Yet just as the frontal collision was near certain. Izzy wrenched the ship directly vertical. Plates of steel rattled loose as izzy surpassed the colossal asteroid and went still higher. At the peak of it's clime he hung there for a moment with all traces of sanity lost. If Sora wasn't dead now... he would kill her. As he would certainly murder Taichi with this last and desperate act of death.

With a flicker of green the mech bay inside listener was exposed to space. The vacuum wrenched all the machinery out along with the one mech not in use. Greydramon was no more then a massive marionette without tai to unite with. Now that puppet drifted through the stillness of space. It was an act of desperation for izzy, but the mech was sure to be destroyed if it remained on board for what would come next.

"I wish there would be a happy ending to this." he mused as his eyes burned jade.

"But I suppose I'll have to settle for just an ending." he punched the thrusters to maximum. Listener hurtled downward in the pull of both gravity and thrusters, then as he was no more then feet away from the asteroid's steely surface. He detonated the engines and sent listener careening straight into the asteroid with an impact capable of casting the moon out of its orbit.... and straight into the planet below.

  
  
  
  


**********

  
  


Tai ran blindly through the complex. He encountered no more guards, though they could be around any corner. He suspected izzy's barrage had sent them into a panic and thus left an opening for him to slip in. He wanted matt, but having failed to kill him once he couldn't trust himself to save Sora this time if he tried killing matt too. Also, izzy would be ramming the hell out of the base. No efforts would be made to rescue tai.. If he and Sora were to survive it would be strictly of their own doing.

Hopefully he could steal a ship once he found Sora. But at very least he could get Sora to open space, there she would be able to save herself.. But this all depended on if he could find her, and if she was alive.

Gun drawn and ready he ran down another corridor that was charred with heat. Izzy's ship had done a number on this base that was a reassurance to tai that there was hope. A sudden impact knocked tai to his knees. The whole complex quaked as listener rammed its side into the base's hull. Tai scrambled to his feet even as the asteroid still wobbled on its unstable axis. He sprinted around corner after corner, hall after hall, winding his way farther inside.

He preyed he would not meet matt before Sora, he had to save her. his name had meant deliver in her native tongue; he just preyed it didn't mean deliverer of death. He saw a man in a white lab coat sprint down the hall. He was in a blind panic as he passed tai. Taichi didn't raise a weapon to strike him down, he was in no state of mind to do anything but run now.

Tai noted that he was now in a laboratory wing. It smelled of ozone and smoldering engines. There was a faint haze of smoke from some dying machine. He was preparing to explore the various rooms where Sora may be held, but his eyes widened as movement caught his gaze. From around a corridor Sora bounded with all the sheer determination she could muster through her aching body. Tai felt his throat tighten as he saw her. she had wounds which now bled, her hair was matted with sweat and remained plastered to her clammy skin, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

As Sora fully turned for the hall she saw him. He stood there like a statue with a faint shimmer in his eyes that she had never seen before. Her eyes widened as she suddenly found new strength. No longer favoring her left leg she now bounded to him in virtual leaps. She made a noise he couldn't quite comprehend as he dumbly opened his arms and caught her in mid bound. Their grips turned to vices they crushed each other to themselves. Tai found himself frantically touching her. Her face, her hair, desperately striving for every caress he could. He hadn't lost her. there was still a chance he could make that life he had secretly been pining for, a humble little life on some colony where he would be free to not kill.

"You... you're alive." he choked out just as the base pitched with impact. Sora crumbled and brought him down on top of her. a harsh reminder of the bleakness which loomed beyond the singed corridors.

"Tai! This place!?"

"Izzy's ramming listener into it..." her eyes went wide.

"IS HE INSANE!?!" she croaked.

Tai gave a dark chuckle as he pulled himself to his feet. Sora following. "It's possible.." they both ran back in the direction tai had come. Each collision threw them against walls or doorways, yet their pace quickened with each impact. No guards once again... but matt was also missing. That scared tai. The awakened lion would not let his quarry escape from his own den. That was perhaps the momentum which urged tai to move faster.

They had no clue where the loading bay was.. where a ship could be found. But odds were that it would be on the outer levels. The silence was eerie except for when listener thundered against the hull like an ogre knocking on the door. They came to an observatory with one large sectioned octagon porthole. It stared off into the battle and for a moment caught tai's attention. Listener was struck by a beam originating from the base. Tai could feel its rumble, yet he had no clue such a ray was capable of being born on this dark instillation. It wasn't the hue or size of izzy's ionic cannon, but it pierced listener like a spear thrown from the devil's own hand.

"Oh god! Listener... it's...." Sora gaped as she watched in horror as izzy's vessel floundered under the dark beam's ministrations.

"On the verge of being nothing more then scrap steel." matt smirked as both of them turned in horror to see him as he now was.

Blond hair now spiked out across his brow in bangs that seemed solid enough to serve as spears. His eyes were pools of silvery azure sapphire set aglow. His black pupils now seemed more elliptical then before, almost with a feline influence. He still wore the black coat and black shirt, though the muscle now seemed more filled out. His sleeves were torn and now gave hellish glimpses at alabaster skin lined with black tributaries which ran like underground rivers through his skin. His hands were taught and hard, they could be claws for all the subtle changes he had suffered.

Throat still scarred, but now tattooed with the black varicose veins which exploded out in frozen motion from his wound and up his features. From beneath his hair barbed thorns of black marred his forehead while the clinging black vines reached out over his cheeks. None covered his face, though all framed it with all the artfulness of a nest of black snakes. He stood taller, more upright too. It was as though he burst with conceit and let that arrogance drizzle from every poor which bled like a gaping sore. Spiked tendrils of hair shifted in nonexistent wind as his eyes brightened to a more prominent glow.

"You like it? I think it's a big improvement. I feel so much more certain now that it's in me. Sora and sin.. Together inside.. I can feel them bubbling together inside me... both hungry." he looked at Sora and smiled with all the compassion of a viper given lips.

"What are you?" tai gaped as he guided Sora farther away and closer to the window.

"My demon did that to izzy's ship you know..." he stated without paying any heed to tai's question. His words seemed to carry off to some land far away where his bubbling insanity made perfect sense. His face changed from malice to confusion.

"I... I'm not sure if I want to kill you or not..." he stated as his eyes flickered. "Before, it was more a rivalry. More for revenge. But now, I don't know. It all feels so hazy now.. Like something inside me is building. A pressure... oh it's scary tai. Please... make it go away." his eyes had mirrored confusion before... now they bubbled with feverish fear and terror. His voice had trembled like a little child before it changed once more, still the child, but different now. "I think I want to let it in.. Open the door to this demon inside me... it wants me to accept it and become it. Oh tai... I'm sorry." his words were slurred to growls as he hissed out that last little sentence. He was sorry... but as he looked up again that was gone. All white in his eyes had turned to oily black, leaving two rings of sapphire hanging there on those dark orbs like rings on some demolished planet.

"Taichi Sora... I'm sorry about that. That was the last little shred of someone long dead. A ghost in the machine. He's gone now.. And only I'm left." matt smiled darkly as he lifted a gun from the folds of his jacket. Tai tried to pull the gun on him and blow the bastard to pieces. His hand couldn't. Something held it. It would move in any direction or action, so long as it didn't involve firing on matt. The demon inside now had established itself... and that meant it could fully access matt's powers while tai had none of his own to defend with.

"You love her so much tai... you always have. That's why it's time to loose it all" he smiled at Sora as her eyes went wide with sudden knowing. Still weak, she lunged for tai and pushed him aside. The shot rung loud and echoed through the darkened corridors of the dying base.

Tai looked up at Sora. She looked confused by something as she glanced down at him. Her face softened. "I'm ok tai..." he would have laughed with joy and relief if she hadn't said that while slumping to her knees and collapsing into his arms.

Tai screamed as he lay his hand on her center back and drew it back painted in his love's blood.

"It's fine tai..." she tried to say, but found her voice trembling and breaking as she spoke.

"Silly girl... I wasn't going to shoot him..." tai looked up at him with more hate then he could ever be capable of in a thousand lifetimes. His hate was fueled by horror and grief which burned far hotter then any rage. He shook as he turned back to look at her.

"It's ok Sora... we're getting out of here." he was vaguely conscious of exhaling all air from his lungs as matt took aim at his head. If there was a shot it came far too late as tai raised his gun and shot the window to smithereens. Space's vacuum devoured all sound and air with a great whoosh. When it was all over Tai and Sora were floating in space, both limp.

  
  
  
  
  
  


**********

  
  


The three watched in awed horror as the shockwave threw the weaker mechs away like paper dolls caught in a gale big enough to reshape continents. Listener in itself did not explode, though it ripped to pieces with small blasts that tore the majestic vessel to fragments. The asteroid stronghold hurtled downward caught in the gravity of the dead world beneath. Listener however had partially ricocheted off it's crest, and managed to remain in space for a slower descent.

The ship crumbled to plates of steel which spilled out like entrails with dead machinery. Kari squeaked in horror as she watched the ship pitch with each blast that tore from within like some parasitic larva exploding through a host grasshopper. Her eyes leaked tears as she watched a tree from the atrium, ripped from its roots, floating dead on the emptiness of space. The plasma burning fire rippled around listener like sea and sky joined forces against the damned vessel. Fire swirled on the smoldering steel as listener's carcass split in half and burned. 

"The listener is no more." TK said softly as he watched the ship twist in further explosions. His attention was suddenly drawn to Kari as she growled low in her throat while watching the listener. Dark Leomon's clawed fists tightened as the shared link pushed both to the edge of control.

"We have to save him..." she snarled.

"No we do not! Izzy is just like listener, a threat." TK barked. Kari turned to him and scowled.

"Just because we are the three, it doesn't mean we aren't digidestined anymore! We can't let izzy die!"

"He made his own fate by creating a weapon like that. Wether to fight matt or not, he has to reap what he sew." Kari scowled at him.

"For the love of god TK! What the hell happened to you!?" his eyes flared red as he yelled back.

"I lost hope! Ok!? The digidestined are on the verge of self destruction! What does it matter if he dies? He'll be reborn, then he'll die again. Just like the rest of us. Humanity will go on killing each other, wars will continue to break out. Innocents will die. Nothing we do matters!" Kari stared at TK as if slapped. Braedon looked at him with more sadness then his sister mirrored, he had known TK felt this way for far longer then he let on. Kari just now found out that the only reason TK still acted as leader of the three was for them. but in all senses of the word he had long ago been swallowed by despair.

"We can't force them to change TK! But we can help give them the chance. TK! Izzy can help do that... but with the way things are going we can't waste another lifetime." Kari spoke softly, yet with a haste as the listener continued to rip apart.

"There's no hope.. And I don't care anymore." he replied crestfallenly.

"WELL I DO!" she roared as dark Leomon exploded off tword listener. Her thrusters cast off sapphire embers as she closed the gap.

"I care too brother." Braedon whispered as he took off in pursuit of Kari. TK watched as the two mechs came up under listener and tried top push it out of the gravitational field. He would almost laugh if that was still in him. The two had heart, heart in spades actually, but not quite as gifted at thinking on their feet as they should be. If they failed to save izzy then they would understand how futile it is to fight destiny.

Listener lurched downward even further as another explosion rocked its hull. Kari cried out as her grip faltered. She regained composure, but her thrusters were no match for the gravity which pulled at the massive chunk of the ship. Braedon had the excuse of still being young and idealistic, Kari had seen just as much as TK, she shouldn't be so easily fooled. Chivalry is dead... hope is gone... why the hell did she still try?

He rolled his eyes as the corse of action became clear. They would never see the world as it was. Their naivety were too deeply ingrained in them now. His jaded eyes saw the corse... the only corse for saving them from the hard truth. Withdrawing the angelic blade from his side he felt it tremble in his grip like a tuning fork. Flaring with blue flame the sword came alive.

"It's slipping Kari!" Braedon cried as listener pitched even closer to making planet fall.

"We can't give up!" she called back.

"Both of you! Move now!" TK commanded. The angel mech was dashing tword them like a massive bullet. At his side he held the flame sword which was aglow with ancient runes. Braedon shot out of the line of attack as if his life depended on it. Kari screamed out a terrified "NO!!!" he didn't answer her.

His eyes flickered with flame as he sliced through listener like it was butter. The upward cut split the ship in another half. Drawing up his foot, he kicked the unwanted section of hull off. Before Kari could react he had slicked listener again. The horizontal cut split off the remains of the ship which exploded to a hail of shrapnel. The metal fragments pelted him as he reached out and snagged the section of listener which surrounded the bridge. His fingers dug deep holes in the metal as he heaved this considerably smaller portion out of gravity's pull. With a grunt he heaved the section back into space and returned his attention to the reaming fragments of listener which would fall atop the survivors. 

Angemon's wings glowed with sapphire light as TK called out: "heaven's charm!" the resulting blast washed over the ship like a tsunami of energy. Thousands of beams split and cut the vessel's fragmented hull to ribbons. They swirled around it until all that remained of the great listener, was dust in the stellar wind.

Kari stared at him in stunned disbelief as the tiny blue embers of the attack still swarmed around them. like throngs of drunken fireflies. 

"The two of you are far too sentimental... and I am putting izzy under your supervision. If he's still alive that is..." the young knight grunted out.

"TK?" Kari gaped.

"I don't trust them anymore Kari... men who can build weapons like that. But I do trust you. Keep him under control, or I'll correct my mistake." his voice was cold and harsh, yet Kari could hear something else within. Perhaps the last little trembling flame of hope still ablaze within the shell of ice.

"Thank you Takeru..."

"I've always trusted you Kari." he replied, and as he did, she smiled.

  
  
  
  


**********

  
  


Mimi stared up at the cloudy sky overhead. The air of earth was dry and smelled hackneyed from the years without sufficient vegetation to filter the air. The co2 would be toxic if they were to stay for too long.. But this minimal exposure to the high carbon monoxide would leave them with no negative side effects.... provided they weren't all killed by the battle.

The sky was an endless sea of golden clouds mingling with ones of orange and red together in an ever changing panorama. The earth had grown silent except for the faint howl of a low wind, it was still, as still as the grave,

"It... it's so ominous." joe whispered as he joined her. the other refugees has assembled themselves together, now they practically huddled under the dark presence which gradually overtook them in the form of a darkening shadow. The seeming eclipse raced across the arid land like a specter. It swallowed up the entire panorama as day and night mingled in a abomination of perpetual twilight. Mimi trembled as the low roar came. Feral and untamed the low growl made itself into a roar and then a blaring howl.

The sky suddenly surged outward in a jetted extremity which continued to elongate like a god's finger. The cloud swirled as atmosphere was punctured and cast into a frantic shuffling to regain its equilibrium. A shadow blacker then space shimmered beneath the ethereal clouds of carbon laced oxygen like a black fish swimming beneath the glassy surface of a clear pond. The asteroid's girth was never more apparent as the sky rippled in swirling vortices of hazy clouds. Mimi's jaw dropped as she stared in terror at the falling asteroid. The weakened ozone burned with friction as the ragged stone caught ablaze and set the very sky around it on fire. 

Friction generated bolts of lightning flared from the heart of the cloud and fire pillar which continued until nearly scraping the ground. Pelting rain of steel and debris began to fall over the vicinity of the asteroid's immanent touch down. Dozens of fiery fragments rained out over the land like a downpour of fire. As they collided with the earth they each rumbled like thunder. The air grew feverish as tolling impacts drummed out the coming of a large impact. The heat lightning struck the earth and scorched it as buildings caught too close crumbled to dust and were swept off into the storm.

Joe's knees grew weak, they had survived this impact by sheer luck... it was no more then gravity and fate that guided the impact to a remotely safe distance. Their survival was mearly chaotic luck... though to call any of this luck would be a testament to insanity. The clouds were thinning out as the asteroid came to view. It was a blackened exoskeleton now, laced with tributaries of silvery steel which was molten hot. The irregularly shaped asteroid was ablaze with jets of fire that burned off charcoaled stone and illuminated more of the steel innards which liquified under re-entry.

Thunder sang out across the sky, yet was drowned out as the hurtling rock made impact. The crash was a sonic wall of destruction that rendered all landmarks within the area clean and flat. The force of this colossal impact threw the refugees to their hands and knees as the dead planet rumbled in seismic agony. Elsewhere, buildings crumbled into bays and desolate freeways returned to the sands which gave birth to them originally. All the world seemed to cry out as the deafening roar snarled out in a hateful screech. The impact drilled a cavern into the earth which collapsed and was filled several times around the asteroid. 

As the roar died and the chaos softened to a panicked wail the haze was sucked away by the reassembling oxygen which had been pushed away during impact along with all debris. Now as the air whooshed into the void, the sandy earth that had failed so miserably to cushion the base had receded to a cracked and decimated stone carpet that had ran beneath the sands.

The rock smoldered like a blackened coal, yet unlike hot coals, this blackened stone was laced with veins of bleeding steel which pooled around it like a small lake of mercury in the asteroid's crater. Serpents of smoke escaped through the air as they could through the water should they be more then mearly smoke.

Mimi stared up at the sky which now was with a mirror to space. The clouds had parted to reveal a darkness that extended for galaxies... no star dared shine under this dark hour. And as she let her gaze lower to the charred relic of hate... she knew that it would not end like this.

There came a sound from the asteroid's core. Now it could have quite easily been the sound of a machine grinding itself to death. Or it was a gas leak from within as the atmosphere met the thing's open cracks. It could even be the sound of something sizzling on the molten hot stone or steel... but regardless of origin, Mimi heard a snarl from within.

  
  
  
  
  
  


**********

  
  


tai's head was lighter then his body as he floated through open space. He held Sora by the hand as they both glided through the darkness. His lungs were emptied of all oxygen, yet still burned as his body was being drawn out by the lack of atmosphere. His skin was burning as blood vessels drew closer to rupturing. His head rang with a fearsome migraine as the pressure asserted itself on his constitution. He would be crying tears of blood soon once the pressure burst more of his blood vessels around his eyes. Yet as he felt the limp figure in his arms he ceased to care.

Drawing her closer, tai closed his arms around the beautiful hybrid's gossamer form. she didn't hug back, tai had felt her grip slacken as she passed out, but he still had faith that she was alright... this belief was fueled by sheer hope and the steadfast belief that if he didn't glance back to their wake and see the trail of floating blood which spun away into space like a string of ruby pearls broken from their thread tether, it would deny the inevitability that her would was as bad as he feared. 

Despite the headache, he felt no pain now. He was cold as ice in space, and strangely peaceful as Sora was squeezed to him. The two glided in soft rotations away from the base which had fallen to earth like a devil in biblical perportune. Sora's hair fanned out around them and teased tai's skin by dancing across it. Her face was soft and locked in a gentle expression that mirrored a dreamful sleep. She would die without help soon... And that help would never come if tai died in space. His lungs already ached for air as ruby tears leaked from his blurring eyes. He was on death's alter now... awaiting sacrifice.

From the darkness of space he saw a figure that looked to be an angel of death. It was coming in and out of focus as his eyes blurred. The space was gradually divulging the image of the angel to him. It lay lifeless in the tide, though it was not dead. He shook his head to clear the haze and saw the image sharpen for a moment. With wings open and arms held outward it startled him to see the Greydramon looming right there before him. The sleeping titan seemed to will him to it. And tai found strength to grab hold as they drew nearer. His lungs throbbed as if impaled by spears as he reluctantly released Sora to drift. He pressed his hand to the red jewel and was filled with sheer joy to find the mech alive. It pulled him in and swallowed him. Tai coughed and gagged as the dragon god fed him air and proceeded to repair his burst blood vessels. Yet tai took no time to heal alone. He coughed and wheezed as he gently took hold of Sora. He cradled her in his dragon hands and held her to his chest with all the tenderness used for handling a ladybug. Greydramon flew faster then before as he dropped from the heavens and to the earth. Joe... the healer. He would save her... he would save her... he had to.

  
  
  
  
  
  


**********

  
  


"IZZY!" Mimi cried as Kari used the dark Leomon to rip open the listener's bridge. The metal gave way easily to Kari's grip, and as the clamshells split izzy lay there amidst the wreckage. Joe was to him immediately as was Mimi. Kari slowly withdrew to her comrades' side and gazed down at him. Joe looked worried for only a moment before he helped the dazed commander to his feet. Izzy needed to lean on him as he stared up at the three mechs. All stared down at him, almost hungrily. Mimi grabbed him across the mid-section as he smiled.

"Takeru? It's good to see you again..." He watched as the three cockpits opened and the three knights emerged. Several of the men were trembling as they looked up to the fabled three. Destroyers of empires and warriors from beyond time itself. Kari they knew... the two males they did not. Without effort they each leapt from the cockpit and landed together before izzy. He didn't seem afraid, but the commander never seemed to be afraid.

"I wouldn't have imagined you would save me Takeru... it's against your principles to spare a threat."

"You're right... and you are possibly the biggest threat here. You made digimon into Mecha... turned them into living weapons... matt wants to rule the species... but it would seem you want to destroy it." his voice was dark and izzy frowned at its tone.

"The plague... they would all be lost. Every digimon would die..."

"I understand why you did it... I remember Patamon. And it broke my heart when he died. I still miss him. I assume you still miss Tentomon too. When they died.. It's like we died too. They were a part of us all.

But before they could be more then fighters, they could be our friends... now they are machines.. There's names for machines that kill... lots of names... all of them live in infamy. Guns... atomic bombs... Izzy... scientists create death. And you... you took the digimon and turned them into weapons. I would rather have killed Patamon myself then let him be turned into something like these..." he stretched out his hand to the three mechs. 

"That's enough TK!" Mimi snapped. He turned to stare at her and his eyes burned like fire.

"I'm not the little kid I was once... I'm not the loyal knight I once was. I'm not a crusader, I'm not a policeman, I'm not a writer, I'm not a priest anymore, and I sure as hell am not one of YOU anymore! I will not kiss his ass like the two of you do, izzy molested all the digimon into murderers and he never deserves to be forgiven for that!" he roared as Mimi stared at him in horror. Little TK had changed much since last they knew each other.

"You're right TK... I don't deserve redemption. I see what I've done. I see what I accomplished by turning the digimon into mechs, and I never asked to be forgiven. You can hate me all you like... but that won't change things. I may have destroyed their species... their true nature. But I will always do what I can to preserve life."

"Err.... him nice to meet you koshiro, I'm Braedon." the young knight smiled. Izzy stared at him incredulously yet was unable to answer when his eyes fell skyward. The Greydramon was descending, yet far too fast as to broadcast any degree of grace. The dragon all but fell to earth as he relied on sheer power to survive the impact which jarred the bystanders and left the earth under-talon cracked.

Expressions of unsurety were replaced by horror as the dragon god relinquished a limp Sora to the ground. No sooner has she been laid on the earth as the cockpit split open and tai fell to the ground. He landed sprawled, but quickly regained composure and crawled to her. his eyes were red as he frantically picked her up into his arms. Her long hair lay over him like a shroud. His trembling fingers traced wobbly lines of affection over her cheek as his head shot up to joe. He spoke not as the Taichi that had once been, not as the cold assassin either. His words trembled on the edge of a precipice that receded into a place that no eyes could see and no one could follow. He spoke with the same helplessness as a child devoid of strength but with fear in excess.

"Please..." he choked as joe broke into a run. The doctor was followed by Kari and Mimi. Takeru stared at the figure of the bloodied Sora in paralyzed disbelief. Braedon was in the dark for the significance of why the hybrid would evoke them to run like that. Izzy, who had moments before been Barley able to stand now ran with a agonized limp. TK followed slowly, but in the end he too ran.

"Please joe... save her!" tai whimpered in that voice.

The doctor slid into a kneeling position as a baseball player might slide to home. He took Sora from tai and pulled at her garments until the small of her back came to view. Nestled between wings and scapula a red hole resided with a malignant ugliness. It was bleeding slowly, but the trickle seemed far more ominous to joe who turned her. as he continued to examine her he was vaguely aware of a crying Taichi who would reach out and touch her. joe shook his head slowly before offering her back to Taichi. The boy cradled her in his lap and looked at joe with teary eyes, pleading eyes, and worst of all hopeful eyes."

"Tai... it hit her heart." he whispered and more tears erupted from the onlookers, Kari, Mimi, or one of the others. Tai shook his head as he continued to cradle her. the girl's wings had pulled closer to her, they were stiff. Tai groaned in an anguished cry, yet as he drew back his hand from under her it was painted red. 

Tai stared at the blood on his hand. He hated blood... drawing his hand closed, he put it to his lips and began to sob. No one tried to console him, no one had the strength to.

"Tai... calm down will ya? You're making this hurt more." Sora whimpered as tai cried out in shock and joe gaped.

"YOU'RE ALIVE!" tai practically screamed, yet was stopped suddenly by a look he caught in her eyes. She was smiling at him, but it was a sad grin. He caught on too well.

"It burst something inside tai..." she whispered.

"Please no, I don't want to be alone again." he pleaded.

"You aren't alone tai..." he kissed her gently as she stared at him.

"Your name means deliverer... It fits." his lip trembled as his heart thundered inside his chest, funny how it could still do that when it was actually impaled and dead.

"I hate you humans... I hate that I'm part human... part of a species that is capable of doing so much, but does so little. I don't hate you tai.. You're proof that they can't be all bad... that there is still a chance. Nothing that you are a part of is irredeemable, I see that in you. 

Your name means deliverer, you did... you brought me back from hate tai... thank you for that. My deliverer... " she touched his face and he smiled.

She looked out at the refugees of listener and then back to tai. 

"Humans... what a peculiar species you are. You're capable of the most horrible nightmares, but also the most beautiful dreams. Tai... the future is a dark horizon. It goes on forever and you can't see any end to the blackness, but there is always hope." she leaned up and kissed him on his lips. A kiss goodbye. She whispered against his lips. "Fight the dark horizon Taichi... deliver us from it." Sora lay her head to his chest, and listening to his heart, died.

No one spoke... they heard the snarling again, this time accompanied by a pounding, but still no one spoke. Tai held Sora to him for a time before she began to grow cold. Tears had dried up, leaving only the agony felt by each who knew her. she had died before, but the loss of Sora killed them each time. Even TK's eyes were wet with tears as he held Kari to him, possibly more for his benefit then hers, neither complained about the arrangement though.

The grieving assassin lay her down before him. He straightened her hair as he let one hand linger on her face. tears streamed down his face as he looked at her. the air was moving around them in a low and ominously fluid motion. Tai's fists trembled as the sky grew dark.

Mimi's tear filled eyes widened as she heard the rumbling start. It was low at first. Growing slowly the thunder rolled across the swirling heavens. Pebbles trembled like frightened mice on the flat ground as the residual fires from the asteroid's impact flared. Thunder cracked the sky with a flash as heaven shuddered in fear. Tai's hair stood on end as he knelt before the girl that could have set him free. He lurched over on the earth as each finger dug a trench in the sand. His body trembled as they backed away. Izzy's eyes were wide as he gaped.

"He's triggering..."

Thunder again, this time multiple bolts of heat lightning which painted the clouds red and black. Again the thunder tolled, this time as twin bolts which struck the earth and did not fade in that same instant, they hung there and danced with white fire as bridges between the sky and the earth.

The asteroid suddenly cracked. A fissure split, and the shell was broken. From the seal, a demon emerged. The asteroid crumbled as the thing housed within roared out with a reptilian howl. The killer of listener, the best which had been snarling from within the base, the black monster, all united as one demon emerged. It screamed a feral cry into the heavens as its fearful symmetry became all too clear. The beast was of Mecha, but seemed more then a mere mech.

It looked capable of being Greydramon's brother, but different. Its flesh was a sickly black that looked like corpse flesh. The black epidermis was knotted in a thousand kinks of flesh and bone and steel. From the demon's black core tiny clawed arms hung, atrophied and in the process of being re-absorbed into the twisted demon of plague. It hissed and snarled from its tomb of steel and stone. The asteroid cracked away like an egg as the beast reared up. Its body was a nest of twisted appendages and bone while a crown of horns sat atop the horrible dragon's black boney maw. It seemed to wear its skeleton outside and inside in a hellish spectacle.

The demon known as Seth stretched out as he clawed himself out of the asteroid womb which he had slept within. The talons were gigantic as they raked across the dead earth, cutting deep trench-like gashes into the stone. Roaring again he lurched forward. His back exploded with two dragon wings. Leathery flesh wrapped tightly around steely blades. The wings stretched as a long black tail slowly raised up and swished through the air. The tail's barb shimmered menacingly in the darkness as Seth roared out into the haze. Behind the red jeweled heart yamato smiled gleefully.

They watched the demon mech raise up and look over tword them. with a hunger gleaming in his dark eyes. Yet that look changed as Taichi stood. His hair now stood more upright as he turned to face the dragon. His chestnut eyes shimmered faintly golden in the first protruding rays of light from the thick, and yet parting canopy of black clouds. Sora lay behind him, as dead as the tai he once was. He smiled at the demon with a darkness kindled by the edge of grief induced madness. He didn't speak, but his silence conveyed intent beyond words. Izzy felt his breath freeze to ice in his throat as all grew silent as the grave around them. Mimi trembled against him as they both stared at the risen leader of the digidestined. Tai had always walked the edge between righteousness and infamy, a leader by strength, but not always the most pure leader.

He was resurrected, with all the power of an eternity endowed in him. The assassin was gone, replaced by a digital god that had all the power and hatred from a millennia of accumulated lives spent in conflict. He continued to glare darkly with at Seth and matt and perhaps for all the others who would use digimon for war. 

He turned to one of the refugees who had once worked in listener's engine room. He wore a pair of goggles which shielded his eyes from the engine's potential debris that was often thrown up during maintenance. Tai smirked as he grabbed the goggles and slipped them onto his head. This was a little strange for those who had not known the Taichi of the past, and for those who did, it almost tempted a smile.

Before they could assume that all was well, their smiles were stopped. Tai cried out in a sudden rage that sent a jarring shockwave through the air. He watched as the earth split around him in thousands of tiny cracks which shot through the ground like lighting. They encircled Taichi, who appeared to be stretching, though less with his muscle then with whatever force now swelled within him. Tai glanced over at Sora for a time with a profound sorrow before looking up at izzy with either hatred or disappointment in him. The gaze chilled izzy to his core. Tai was back... but it was unclear if he was back as he once was, or if something had changed in him beyond the triggering. Perhaps he too now felt as Takeru did, that izzy deserved no compassion for his failures as a Digidestined.

Regardless of all other things, this was clear.... The dreamer had awakened... but the nightmare had just began.

  
  


Dreams are fragile things.

Sometimes they grow into our reality, and other times they die in our imagination.

They are like butterflies, once touched, they are rendered incapable of flight.

The really depressing thing is that unlike dreams,

nightmares are not bound to the same rules as dreams,

and they almost always come true.

  
  


Sweet dreams...

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Not The End...


	8. new beginnings

Disclaimer time. Well if you thought I owned digimon... then you're an idiot because that ending was not exactly inspired by Logan. Well this is almost the end of this fic... one more epilogue and I am finally done with this fic. Dark horizon was a lot better in my head.... oh well. This chapter has a lot of big things in it and they all seem kinda rushed to me. But I hope you like it. ^_^

Ok ummm perhaps you could help me with something. You see I was reading a chaptered fic before ff-net got the major revamp a while ago. And it deleted my favorite stories -_-' I have been looking for this fic since then and have had no luck. So I was wondering if one of you knows.

It's a taiora and mimato. Set in a different era. Tai and Matt are working in a ship. Mimi is a rich passenger. Sora is sold as a slave and abused by her owners. If one of you know the name of the fic or the author's pen name, please tell me. I have been going nuts trying to find this fic. Thanks ^^

Well let me know what you think at logan91235@aol.com

  
  


Dark Horizon

by Logan  
  
  
  


"New beginnings."

  
  


Seth rose like a dark phoenix from the smoldering crater, his form tightening and contracting in spasmodic pulses of quivering black flesh that seemed alive and angry. The beast looked to be actually several creatures spliced to one demonic figure that was not quite adapted to his two cloven feet. His eyes burned as he clawed at the earth while manifesting further adaptations to being back in the land of the awake. He had dreamed for far too long within the cold shell of the asteroid, and now the sleep had ended and the beast was freed to the land of the awake.

The digidestined stared at him with a pressure squeezing their chests like a chain of ice. The mech was just as awe inspiring as the Greydramon, though this one also seemed to draw upon a great reservoir of fear that flowed steadily through each onlooker. Its narrow muzzle palpitated with acidic saliva as it stared at them from across the desert arena. Tai looked over at it and then to Izzy.

"If they can't fight... they will be killed in what's about to come." his voice whispered like a single breeze across a full graveyard. Izzy was moved by the silent thunder which seemed to rumble through the smooth timbre of the digidestined's voice. He remembered Tai's voice had a power to it before, a tone or pitch endowed with strength. Tai was guardian of courage... It seemed all too plausible that his voice was the means by which he spread his charge to the world.

TK stared at the boy with the golden eyes and was possessed by him. Tai's resurrection had always been different from the other seven, somehow less flashy, but more like a storm. While only showing a faint gust of wind or a gentle crack of low thunder, the storm is actually a great maelstrom of power beneath the cloudy surface. Tai was a storm made flesh, and now as Takeru stared at the awakened digidestined, he remembered just how powerful their leader was.

"TK..." the knight's head shot up as Tai spoke to him.

"Yes Taichi?"

"Are you ready to set things right?" he replied softly.

"Can things be set right?"

"I know about the ninth digidestined" TK paled and looked away as Tai continued. "Hope doesn't exist within a mark on our wrists... Hope is much more then that. Things can always be set right... if one is willing to sacrifice to do it...." TK nodded a little as he watched Tai turn to Greydramon. 

His hair whipped in the hot dry air. The dragon moved. TK, Braedon and Kari gaped as they watched the mech shiver to life. It rose up and stood before them with red jewel thundering with flame. Tai smiled a little as he stared up at the dragon god.

"It's good to see you again Greydramon..."

"I have nothing left.... nothing except destiny. Matt must pay for what he has taken..." Tai's words resonated as those of a man pushed to the summit of his control over his destiny. He now stood upon the cliffs which overlooked the crashing sea of his own fate. He was hollow and full all at once in such maddening proportion that they seemed to be the very thing pushing Tai closer and closer to the cliff's edge step by step.

TK turned to his fellow knights and with one nod they each stood decided on this issue. They turned to their respective mech, which kneeled before them in the position in which they had come to rest. One by one, the three chests split open to their pilot. From the gaping shadows of that cool dark recess came tendrils of silver. The serpentine appendages slithered out and took hold of each pilot by their waist and torso, then, having them in their grip drew them into the darkened cavity. As each of the three was placed within, their body was sealed over with bony apparatuses that were not unlike clamshells in their motion. They sealed over each pilot from face to toe with the tightness of a plaster cast mold. 

Their minds were now not in their human forms, but instead in their digimon forms. Each symbiotic machine was now bent to the will of their occupant as each breastplate grew back over the cavity and sealed to fissure that vanished as two separate panels merged to one solid form. The three turned and stared at their foe, the great black dragon named after chaos itself.

They were not alone now... Mecha from both sides of the conflict now drifted downward to their respective sides. Some of the beastly digimon looked worn and torn up, while others gleamed with brightly hued shells. Izzy found himself no longer the commander, but more the observer. He had unwittingly been overthrown by the true leader of the digidestined. To the mechs unaware of Taichi's significance, they were simply operating as opponents to Matt's forces.

Seth snarled as its twisted black wings opened to full length. Though tattered, those wings seemed to cast a dark shadow over all the world. He looked like both fallen angel and chimera devil combined to one black abomination of all that was. It watched Tai through silvery animal eyes, colder then the darkest void of space.

The great leader stretched out his arms at either side in a pose almost of biblical rendition. He closed his eyes as the dragon's chest split and he was hoisted inside. Greydramon closed over him as Tai was placed in control of his partner's great form. Their symbiotic nature was asserted as Tai and the dragon became one in mind. The dragon turned to face his twin and their differences were never more apparent. 

Greydramon stretched out his massive clawed hand which flared with jade light in a sudden strobe. From his forearm, the blade of emerald fire exploded. It was massive and constantly swirling with a cyclonic range of motion. 

Seth hissed with amusement as it too stretched out its clawed hand. And as a dark reflection of their bond, his forearm too erupted with a blade of purplish black energy. The burning black blade shimmered there in the darkness like an oil slick for an instant before slipping away into the darkness. More a show that they were, in fact, brothers born of the same power. Greydramon and Seth; the twin sons of the digital.

Within the time between this action and the first clang of mech against mech, an eternity passed. But all too soon the storm broke. A mech flew across the dead earth soon followed by another and another, until the war was swirling like a maelstrom worthy of Armageddon.

In space, the battle had been horrible. On earth it was hell given fresh new imagery. As steel pounded steel, cyclones of dust and stone whirled across the barren landscape. The terrain was partially obscured by the whirling storm of dust and debris.

Seth had joined the fray and seemed far more demon then dragon. It snatched mecha up and crushed them in both jaws and grip, then tossed the twisted shells away. It was not preoccupied by which side the prey came from, it simply killed all it encountered with a hunger.

Its eyes flared white as it snapped a unlucky foe in two, then tossed the fragmented corpse away with a thud.

Seth's jaws opened and as the beast spoke, in both his and Matt's voice, and in something far different from a human's. The words were slurred with that second voice, but still comprehensible enough. "Black flame" From within the beast's gaping jaws a sphere of swirling black fire began to form, then suddenly it exploded outward in a great beam of black fire which washed over dozens of mechs. The black fire clung to them and spread like a blaze. The damned were soon screaming as they wildly convulsed in frantic efforts to purge the flame. They eventually slumped to the earth and perished.

TK, Kari, and Braedon suddenly were all too aware of that fire. It was the same fire that had killed them in the past. The same dark plumes which took the lives of all trapped within the lost colony.... The realization was terrible as the three remembered the black monster which had watched them die... It had a new name now... Seth.

Rage flooded through them as a longing for vengeance took hold. They stood together and drew their blades tip to tip to tip. The energy resonated between them much more ferociously then they had against the pilot of the Red Tyranomon... This was fueled with hatred. The dancing bolts of lightning soon swirled around them like a cyclone as they spoke as one.

"Tri-blade."

They were off in a flash, hurtling toward Seth. Any mech that was too close was split in half without slowing their rate of approach in the least. They grew faster still as each blade was drawn and ready. The black dragon glanced over as they were ready to make the first slice.

With three strikes, Seth moved. TK and Kari were seized from mid flight in each talon, then pinned to the earth with a thunderous crash. Devimon was fortunate; he was smacked off by the dragon's skeletal tail and sent plummeting through a skeletal building which toppled atop him. The dragon roared at them as its eyes narrowed to a scowl. It snapped its chops at them as it glanced from one to the other in decision.

Suddenly it bore down on Kari's mech. The steel screamed out in chorus with Kari's own cry as the mech's legs were crushed to twisted scrap. The link shared between mech and pilot joined their pain also, and now Kari wailed with the symbiotic agony of being crippled from the waist down.

Angemon was turned so that his back was now face up. The dragon no longer needed to pin Kari, the pain of her crippling would do that and more to keep her from being an annoyance to him.

The dragon used its free talon to gently touch the mech's back. Then with the delicacy of tweezers, he gripped one of Angemon's wings. 

TK howled in misery as one by one his mech's wings were ripped from his back. The demon seemed to find limitless delight in the act of slowly pulling the appendages off of him and then laying them in a heap next to the maimed angel.

A bolt of dark energy smacked across the dragon's snout with minimal effect other than drawing the creature's attention. Devimon roared with rage as he suddenly charged. TK tried to call to him, yet found that he could not form words under the weight of his pain while he rolled on the ground.

The devil screamed with hate as the colossal demon turned to him. Devimon expected him to strike with claws, not to do what he did. The scorpion barb at tail's end was too fast to be anticipated. Braedon cried out in a muffled wail as the tail's point impaled devimon through the stomach. The three were broken under the dragon's will and now they prepared for death's deliverance into the next rebirth, this time to one where Matt would have domination.

The dragon gathered the three up in one clawed hand, side by side.

Seth opened his jaws for them and daintily positioned their heads between teeth in a sort of mass guillotine.

Just as he was about to snap them to bits, a bolt of energy smashed into his chest like a freight train. The impact sent the three hurling out of the unclasped jaws and down to the merciful earth. The tide of fire which crushed against Seth continued to heave him off and up on sheer force. The dragon devil roared in pain as he finally broke from the beam and crashed into the earth. He rose up and snarled at Greydramon who stood across a road littered with enemy cadavers.

"Dark laser" Seth's jaws exploded with a thin dark beam which hummed in a horizontal arc across the battlefield, slicing several Mecha in half with the cauterizing kiss of dark energy. Greydramon avoided the beam by taking flight. He hovered there in the mid-stratosphere before drawing his blade of flame.

Seth seemed to grin as the black wings exploded open and lifted the black dragon above the minor skirmishes of the lesser mechs and carried him straight to Greydramon. The dark blade manifested with a snaky hiss.

The two met suddenly with collision of blade on blade. The touching of the two was brief, but explosive none the less. Bolts of energy crashed against each other with insane gyrations as energy sizzled and shrieked against energy. The two flew apart in a display of aerial prowess as dragon wings stirred the sky into chaos.

Both lowered into a crouch as they prepared to lunge. And then with the suddenness of a thunderclap they were engaged. The two dragons dominated the battle as the offset winds from each set of colossal wings pulled and jostled each other mech and man caught too close to the fray. The meeting of their blades sent rains of fire down upon them like a publicized Egyptian plague of burning hail. Soon the battle was more on hold as each fighter tried to stay out of the main conflict waged between digital gods.

Izzy looked up on the darkening sky which flared with various lights cast off from attacks. He watched in awed silence as the howling of the winds became the snarling of the two. Twin dragons of good and evil snarled and howled as they met claw and tooth with the savagery of epic detail. He watched as Greydramon was struck down to the earth, practically atop them all. Just as the screams began to chorus from the soon to be victims, the twin dragon wings exploded outward and carried the mech over them. As he righted himself, his red eyes focused on the black dragon foe.

"Dragon's fury!"

The Greydramon exploded upward from the ground as symbols of shadow were transcribed atop glowing papyrus of ethereal smoke. They hung there for half a heartbeat before erupting outward in dozens of amber beams which hung together in a snaking stream of massive girth. As Seth avoided the beam, he was stunned to see them each split off like a dozen homing missiles of angelic origin.

The dark dragon was stuck first in the back, and then over and over again by each corresponding spirit of energy. He however was not brought down with the attack, and all too quickly recovered.

"Hell's judgment!"

Twin bolts of red lightning cut the heavens and struck the partially airborne Greydramon. The beams did not release him, but instead entangled him as they spun around him like silken threads spun from some demonic arachnid devil. The ruby threads of lightning metastasized to chains of blood-hued steel. Greydramon snarled with reptilian hatred as he was restrained by the burning links of chain.

Seth slowly descended to him and sneered as best as his demonic visage could manage. The black dragon sneered at Greydramon who struggled with his chains. The black dragon's face changed. The armor shifted and re-made itself into a different formation before Tai's eyes. The blackish steel bent and warped until it formed a macabre resemblance to Matt's face. The face was terrifying as it stared over at Greydramon with a thin smile on its lips.

"It's good to see you Taichi....." the debauchery spoke. The cold metal eyes fixed on Greydramon with an expression of utter and complete alien origin. It seemed not human, but beast in human guise.

"We are Seth.... The older of the two. You will die in that mech..."

"I am awakened Yamato... You have betrayed the covenant of the eight. Betrayed the digidestined.... I will rectify your betrayal." Tai replied through the twin voices of Greydramon and himself.

"You remember... Good. Then remember how useless the eight were! The only future left for us is to be gods! And I prefer that to serving them!" the Yamato-thing yelled.

"We are not gods... We live forever for them!" he strained against his chains.

"Fool... Tell me Taichi, how many times have you watched Sora die for them? How many times has she been killed in a battle for them!?"

"She died so that they still have the choice. The same reason why we all die. Humanity deserves the choice between good and evil. You know that!"

"Does it help to tell yourself that... Does it make you feel better when she dies over and over again, life after life? Do you really believe their choice is worth letting the girl you love choke on her own blood life after life? Letting her be shot and stabbed, impaled and burned, over and over again!?" he roared as the chains rattled against greydramon's struggling.

"Stop this Matt! Enough!" Tai snarled.

"Look down at her Tai! Look at her as she lays on that earth... dead and bloody! She died for a lost cause! We all are forsaken! Whatever god made us has abandoned us! Just like he abandoned humanity! JUST LIKE YOU ABANDONED HER BY CHOOSING THEM!!!!" Matt cried out as the chains snapped.

Greydamon lashed out with one clawed hand. The talons slashed the Matt-thing's cheek and sent him reeling backwards. He stared up at the shivering Greydramon, on the edge of pure rage. The steely flesh bled black blood as Matt's features pulled to a smile.

"The truth hurts..." his face slipped back into the aspect of the dragon's muzzle.

"Not as much as this...." the Greydramon leapt atop Seth with a flap of its mighty wings. Two claws dug into the black dragon's torso as Greydramon's jaws clamped over Seth's neck. The black dragon roared in agony as it was savaged by bite after bite meant to rip the thing's throat out. They fell to earth still locked in the same death grip. Two reptilian forms writhing against one another in a brutal struggle of sheer savagery. Leather wings beat wildly against the earth as claws slashed both mech and earth with random cuts.

The battle halted suddenly as Greydramon's form was pierced by a black blade of energy. He roared in pain as he pitched off of Seth. The stricken dragon landed on its feet at a safer distance. His arm was bleeding at the shoulder.

"Seth is the older brother.... and thus the stronger." he projected himself atop Greydramon and sent him reeling with a slash. Greydramon began parrying slashes and thrusts with frantic speed, but it soon became clear, as cut after cut was made, that Matt had not exaggerated. Seth was older, and thus stronger. The Greydramon battled back with incredible determination, yet found itself short at each turn.

To avoid a dashing cut he took flight and soared high into the stratosphere.

"Dark laser!"

The piercing beam made contact with Greydramon's abdomen. The dragon whimpered in agony as the beam cut upward an inch and then terminated. The beam had cut through him, and now left him near dead. He floated there stationary, doubled over and motionless, as Seth slowly rose up to him with a dark smirk on his reptilian continence.

***************

Izzy and his men were pulling Kari, TK, and braedon from the shells of their tortured mechs. TK was first out and limped as he assisted them retrieve his brethren. The link between mech and pilot shared pain, and that now was as debilitating to them as if Kari had actually been crippled, Braedon impaled, and TK mutilated. Kari could not yet stand on her own and so TK and Braedon helped her to bear her weight.

"It... we were nothing to Seth." Braedon whimpered, still holding his intact, but tortured stomach.

"Matt is a powerful destined... and Seth is a digimon god. We never had a chance...." Kari strained through a voice heavy with agony so profound that it was almost a chain around her, squeezing the life out of her.

"Tai.... how is he?" TK groaned. Izzy shook his head and looked up to where he floated.

"He lost... Matt is too strong for even him now. There's no hope." His dark eyes were full of tears. TK choked on his breath as he looked up at where Tai lay floating on the stillness of space.

"There is always hope Izzy.... if you are willing to sacrifice for it."

***************

"You've lost Tai...." Matt spoke softly, once again through the artificial face that now bore the scratches.

"You are lost to us now Matt..." Tai groaned

"We're all lost."

"I don't hate you Matt... I pity you more than anything else. Someone who could do so much, but is so utterly lost. I don't hate you.... You were so strong once, and smart also... but you made one crucial mistake." Tai looked up at him through the eyes of Greydramon. He cast a short glance down to Izzy and the others who were listening to the their conversation. His eyes lingered on where Sora lay. Mimi was holding her body tenderly and he was grateful for that; he couldn't look at her still on the ground where she had died, now she looked more asleep then dead. Even dead, she looked more radiant then any other woman he had seen since the dawn of time. She was his Sora.... His princess in the past, his best friend in the recent past, his mate in the present, his destiny in the future, and his reason for living since the beginning and until the end.

He looked back up to Matt and his eyes were haunted by the image of his fallen angel.

"I made no mistake Taichi... I will live forever. I will awaken again with all the memory I have now. I control Seth... and I'm on the verge of dominating the world.. What can you possibly do to stop me!?!" he roared with triumph. 

Tai looked at him with a darkness that echoed centuries.

"Your mistake.... you killed Sora. You took her from me. She was the one thing I had that was worth living for. And now she's gone... taken from me. I loved her Matt... and I have no reason to stay alive anymore since I won't be able to be with her. All I have is a promise to keep... To stop you... To keep this world safe for another generation. 

You asked me what I can do to stop you? Well here's the answer...."

Matt smirked. Yet below them, Izzy's eyes grew wide and he paled. Takeru looked to him questioningly until the realization hit him, and then he too grew pale. In the grave tone of Tai's voice the answer lay... and the answer would change everything potentially forever.

"Well Taichi? What is it you can do that will stop me?" he was laughing, yet that quickly ended as Tai spoke.

"I can digivolve!"

Matt's color drained as Seth reared back with a growing sense of horror at the implication of Tai's words. His fears were realized.

Tai screamed as he allowed himself to merge into Greydramon entirely. Two beings became one. Greydramon's cockpit was suddenly engulfed in golden flame as Taichi's body was assimilated into the red heart of the dragon god of the digital world. 

The sky changed as the winds swirled around the mech which now was bathed in a strange glow. The sun darkened in eclipse and suddenly the world was in twilight. There did, however, come a light. Greydramon's body glowed with silvers as beams of white energy struck the earth from the core of the mech.

The dragon's wings hung open and he was still as swirling phantoms of silver light breached from his glow and then returned to it as if they were dolphins swimming in a silver sea. The clouds swirled around him in a great vortex that spanned the earth. Space and time seemed to bend around the mech as his body became no more then a ghost of shadow and light that swirled against itself like the liquid blobs of a lava-lamp.

They all stared at the digivolution with stunned awe as the world seemed to change around them. On the ground around them plants sprouted and grew, then died and returned to the earth within the elapse of seconds. Trees sprung up around the destined, bore pink and lavender blooms, shed them, and then died and returned to the earth all around them, only to repeat the performance again within another moment.

The phantoms of light and shadow skimmed through the fragrant air like serpents on translucent water. The wispy phantasms danced around human and destined alike with such amazing performances that words were inadequate to describe them.

Izzy looked down and marveled at his shadow which was cast in every direction on the changing earth simultaneously. A glance down to his wrist revealed that his crest was now resonating with color and energy in response to the ascension of the god of the digital earth.

Mimi suddenly shrieked in surprise as a ghost rose up from the earth around her. Her eyes were wide with shock as she stared at the ethereal form of Palmon who looked up at her with an almost questioning stare. The digimon then turned and looked up at Greydramon.

Soon more came up from the earth. Each different, and all seeming phantoms of the digimon lost when the plague took them from the people of earth. Soon the entire landscape was littered with ghostly phantoms of digimon before mecha. Virus data and vaccine all stood together and stared at the swirling mass of energy which was Greydramon becoming.

"My god..." TK whispered as he looked at Angemon's specter which stared up like the others. He reached out and touched the digimon, only to find he had the all the matter and substance of smoke. He didn't respond to the touch but continued to watch the change.

"Look!" Kari cried as she pointed upward to the eclipsed son. The others gasped in shock as they saw what was eclipsing the star. The spectral planet soon became all too clear as the chosen once again found themselves staring at the digital world.

"But the digital world was destroyed with the plague..." Joe gaped.

"Maybe they weren't destroyed...." Izzy stammered as he watched the digimon begin to ripple like images on a pond.

Greydramon's body flashed with sudden strobes of energy that sent new motion to the lazy movements of the floating spirits. They all watched as the digimon dematerialized to smoke and lifted off into the air. The ghosts joined together until the thousands and thousands of phantoms formed a river of gray smoke which wafted upward to the ghostly visage of the Digiworld which assimilated them like two drops of water becoming one.

The growing and dying foliage was now in frantic pace as each second heralded another generation of vegetation and then its end. The lazy serpents of glowing energy now flew with the rapid darting movements of a flock of hummingbirds. And still the strobing light from Greydramon tolled faster and faster. It started to seem more like a heartbeat with each moment that passed. Reality was swirling around them in a maelstrom as the digital earth's phantom exploded into a sea of spirits. The ethereal tides exploded into Greydramon as every glowing phantom joined with the dragon. And then it no longer was the Greydramon becoming, but instead the became.

The being was long and serpentine, but of such incredible proportion that it seemed to go on forever. Coils stretched and flexed as the colossal beast smoldered with wispy tendrils of smoke. It was of mecha, but far different from any mech. The dragon looked to be of eastern design, but it had aspects of the fabled ferocious western dragon. Atop its head phalanxes of long horns formed a seeming crown. Its armored form was sleek with black armored scales, each with sapphire and turquoise tinges. It gleamed as though it were made of polished jewels, but it bore no polished stones, just endless legions of scaly armor. It had lost its human aspect in the digivolution, now it was pure dragon. Two massive tri-fold wings lay coiled at the dragon's main body. The bony ridges of the wings were a snowy white, as was the dragon's armored cranium, which contrasted against the dark leathery flesh and smooth scales which ruffled gently as the two wings slowly opened to the world. Their size magnified exponentially as they each stretched out to full size.

The beast's length was mostly in the tail which remained in perpetual, sinuous motion. Its body was thick with muscle and ivory ridges that terminated in spines and sabers. Its talons were massive and seemed more lethal then any weapon ever constructed as they retracted and elongated like a cat's.

As they stared at this massive digimon they noticed that it had the same red jewel heart of Greydramon, only this heart was not swirling fire, but a stationary shadow locked in the stone as though the glowing ruby were actually ice which had frozen over a swimmer. Tai's body lay locked in the crimson bangle in a position which almost appeared to be deep sleep.

The dragon's eyes flared silvery white flame as it suddenly roared out into the heavens. It spoke not an attack, but a name... its name... the voice was Taichi's more clearly then it had been as greydramon. But that voice now carried with it something that whispered of the dragon's true nature.

"Ryuujin-mon." It growled through the voice of Taichi. (For the record: Ryuujin translates to dragon god. I know it doesn't roll off the tongue but oh well. God gave us translator programs and I plan to make use of em ^^)

The dragon god pulled back its chops into a snarl which turned blood to ice. Endless phalanxes of massive fangs gleamed like ivory in the darkness. It turned to face the mecha that now hung there still with phenomenal terror. It grinned at them and panic took hold fast. They flew off in a thousand directions seeking frantic escape from this being that looked capable of devouring worlds like snakes devour eggs.

The great dramon stretched out its arm to the glowing ember of the distant sun. Its eyes flared for a moment as it spoke.

"Summon"

The sun's flames came to life with a sudden ripple of animation. They spun off from the sun with serpentine motion. It seemed a snake in form, but more likely a dragon if the source of the apparition was considered. The lightning quick dragon was composed of solar fire that trailed back to the sun's core. The dragon of fire cut off all retreat by actually engulfing the stratosphere's end with white hot fire. The sea of flame swirled around them all, but gave off no heat which would hurt those who were not protected by mech armor.

"Not happening..." It smirked through dragon lips and Tai's voice. To those who knew him, it was clear that this beast was part Taichi. The way the dragon carried itself and even more how it spoke.

The dragon god glanced down at the digidestined and pierced them with its gaze. They felt like glass before the being's eyes. Each stain and speck of dirt seemed all too clear to the digimon's timeless eyes. It seemed ready to nuzzle them or devour them at any second... and that decision seemed to be made by the dragon's findings from staring into each soul. It shook its head in a reptilian fashion before returning its gaze to the mecha which littered the sky like a swarm of hornets. Some were Izzy's, some were Matt's, all were under Ryuujin-mon's scrutiny. It studied them for a moment more before turning its gaze to the heavenly fire which caged them all together.

"Judgment..." The dragon's body trembled with jade lightning which danced across him before being drawn to his two eyes which now flared with that same emerald sheen as the embers and sparks had a moment before.

Its head shot down to the earth and formed a fearsome scowl. The eyes flared and Izzy cried out in horror. The man who was standing a foot away was suddenly engulfed in fire which plumed outward from within his core. He didn't have time to fall before his body was soot on the wind. The dragon god snarled as one by one others became ash in the wind. Death seemed to pass over one and take another in a completely random manner. Some were taken and some were spared with not a single word passed. The attack seemed to peer into the core of the judged and deliver either mercy or incineration. None could hide from the dark gaze.

His massive head shot up to the mechs which had been watching with horror. They fled in every direction. Some opted to try to pass the barrier of flame...their end was not particularly pleasant. Others tried to dash away to the distant horizon of earth, hoping to surpass the dragon's range. One by one they were taken. Their mech suddenly exploded into wisps of energy and the pilot, should he be judged guilty, became cinders on the wind. Dozens were taken from either side of the skirmish, with no mind paid to allegiances... Only the content of their heart.

Several Tyranomon opted to attack before the gaze fixed on them. Their missiles flew free even as three were judged. The three wafted away as multi-hued particles of energy phantoms. The missiles made contact with incredible pyrotechnics that sent sheets of fire washing over the serpentine dragon god. Yet as the intangible plumes of black smoke and immaterial tongues of flame thinned and were gone, the Ryuujin-mon remained. Its jaws opened and the blackness turned white with fire. Two more Tyranomon became cindling under the dragon fire while the final two darted off. Their speed was nothing to a creature of this power, before they were a mile off he was atop them. He seized one in his talon while the other was snapped up in his jaws. They both were rendered scraps of steel as the dragon's gaze once again found the guilty, and once again judged them.

Seth drew back his clawed hand and summoned his blade. The black dragon knight was ready to lash out against his foe despite the odds. Death meant nothing now... He would be reborn as sovereign of the human world, all he had was time. The black mech took flight into the solar flame which was not near hot enough to stop him. He had all the fire of hell to test him and no solar flare would smolder his future. He flew fast through the clouds of swirling fire.

He dropped from the sky atop the dragon god and caught the digimon unaware. The black blade met the beast with a hiss of black flame. Matt bore down as Ryuujin-mon roared in shock and pain. He was thrown off by the beast's pitching, yet he recovered fast. He was already flying in for another attack when the dragon god retaliated. The long muscular tail lashed from across the horizon and struck him hard. He rolled through the air and barely managed to regain composure.

"Dark laser!" The beam erupted with a electrical hiss and found the dragon god with no time. Yet as the dragon god turned to face the beam space changed. The beam's arch suddenly bent around the dragon's form and flew off into space. Again Seth fired, and again the will of the ultimate dragon prevailed.

"Impressive.... You are quite powerful Matt..."

"You haven't won this yet... I have a trick too. And even the lizard god won't save you."

"I am the dragon god... and I am Taichi... We are one." he replied softly through the dynamic voice of dragon and Taichi.

"Then Tai went through a lot just to die..." Matt's voice thundered with a tremoring hiss. He drew back and Seth opened his hands to the heavens. Swirling dark energy filled the air around his clawed hands like a black entity of ethereal night.

"Mana destroyer!" the twisting nest of smoky snakes writhed suddenly as the air around Seth became alive with endless swirling cerberean serpents of liquid shadow. And then like a bolt of black lightning, a beam of oily shadow streaked the sky and was narrowly avoided by the quick jerking movements of the dragon. The beam burned the air and left a gaping hole in the stratosphere that air didn't rush in to fill, but instead seemingly retreated. The massive beam seemed too capable of snuffing out god or planet with little effort.

"Heh... Small taste of Seth's greatest attack.... Now tell me lord of lizards, do you remember what it looked like when your world was destroyed?" Seth's silver eyes flared with dark glee as he directed his hands downward to the planet. The squirming black entity surged around Seth like a cloak caught in a swirling wind. The glowing essence of death slithered against Seth as he screamed the attack:

"Mana destroyer!" the beam fired.

Izzy looked upward as the black bolt of planet killing energy bore down upon him and all others who could only stare up in horror and helplessness.

"NO!" Tai and the dragon god cried out as they shot downward in a impulse to beat the beam to earth. The words came even as they were pivoting downward to the planet's burnt surface.

"Threads of destiny!" The words resonated from all directions as the great dragon's body glowed white. The incantation was more then a mere attack... but a manipulation of time and space given form. each scale on Ryuujin-mon became burning white energy. The flapping of his wings cast up a sea of snowy embers as the motions of his body kicked of plumes of pale flame. The dragon lord was now burning with white fire and electric tendrils as he suddenly halted with a great flaming reverse flap of his massive wings. The silvery radiance fled the dragon's extremities and soon congregated only in the once red, and now white jewel atop the dragon's chest. Into Taichi's body the energy pooled, and then in one heartbeat everything was gone.

The great dragon's heart exploded with white beams of silver energy. The beams filled the burning sky and shot outward as a million points of light. Millions to billions of glowing white threads exploded outward like a sea of lightning bolts that shot down to earth with a blinding speed.

The dark beam slowed as time twisted under Ryuujin-mon's essence. The threads of destiny swirled apart and around the blackness. They tied around it in a thousand angles from a thousand directions. It all happened within a second or perhaps a year, but the essence of destiny's will did happen. The black beam flickered as it continued to bear downward. It slowed more and more, and finally, when it was no more then twenty feet from eradicating the planet, stopped. The beam arched and forked like black lightning kissing a lightning rod, and then faded. 

Seth drew back to fire the attack again, yet found the silver threads advancing upon him. He flew fast upward as the silver beams tried to entangle him. Each of them had a mind of their own as the matrix of silver energy curved for him again and again. Though breathtakingly fast, he was snared first by one thread, and then another. He ripped at them with his claws, yet was seized again and again by hundreds and then thousands of the silken beams. His lashing wings soon were drawn tightly together and bound. His gnashing claws were bound and soon rendered immobile. Thread after thread tied to the demon's body, hobbling him more and more until his great jaws were stitched together under the ethereal beams.

He snarled out words as they watched the demon's end. The light now went inward and the beast was crushed under its power. 

Soon the smoldering and hateful dragon eye faded away to a dark murky black. The mighty Seth collapsed atop the dead earth and did not stir. Still held within its cocoon of ethereal threads, changed to glowing specters of energy not unlike those of the phantom digimon present for the great digivolution.

The spirit of the digimon plague faded away with spectral whirlwinds of phantasmal energy. The vicious features of the beast Seth dematerialized to smoke on the wind along with the threads that bound him. And soon all that remained was a shadowy figure which lay sprawled upon the cold ground.

Izzy was first to approach, but soon followed by the other digidestined. They peered down at where Matt lay. The changed boy was alive, his bleeding chest rose up and down with gentle undulations. He stared up at them with a darkness that pierced them.

"Lets end it..." TK said softly as he withdrew a pistol from his side. Matt didn't flinch from it. TK stepped forward and slowly took aim on the immortal's head. His finger brushed the trigger, but then was seized by a strange force which pulled his gun downward and away from where Ishida lay. TK cried out in surprise by the invisible pressure until a voice echoed from above them.

Ryuujin-mon slowly floated downward toward the surface, and landed as though he were as light as a feather. His red core, which held Taichi rippled. It changed from stone to water as Taichi stepped out from where he had lain suspended. The red jewel regained its solidity the second Taichi left it, and as he did the dragon god grew still as stone... 

"Don't kill him..." Tai spoke. As they looked at him it became clear that Tai was not the one speaking. His eyes were reflective with a shimmering gold while the rest of him seemed to glow gently. His celestial glow was faint, but notable, and as they looked, they parted for him.

"Taichi?" Kari whimpered softly as he passed her. he paused and glanced back. 

"No." He turned back and walked over to Matt who stared up at him with a slight scowl.

"Well if it isn't the lizard god..." he rasped as he held his stomach.

"Hello Yamato." he replied as he lay a hand over the blond's chest. Matt's body jumped slightly as the black varicose veins faded away, leaving only pale flesh. Matt coughed up a black tendril of smoke which faded away in the wind, leaving him, and all to come, free of the entity known as Sin which had been mortally wounded along with Yamato. Matt scowled at the expressionless human with the spirit of a god.

"You still won't win... Sora's essence has given me eternity. I will be reborn as I am now.. Awake to my power. Your curse on us."

"Yamato... the years have been hard on you."

"Go to hell! You damned us all with your gift!" he spat as he coughed on the words.

"You chose the existence... I never forced you."

"WE DIDN'T KNOW IT WOULD BE LIKE THIS!" he cried as a tributary of blood slipped from the corner of his mouth.

"I am sorry for your pain... For all of your pain. It was a high price that no mortal could have fully grasped... but the choice was made and the past cannot be changed..."

"We are forsaken... all of us.. We will never have peace." he spoke more softly now, with less hate and more sorrow.

"Not you..."

"What?" he croaked.

"You have been corrupted by evil... I take that blame on myself. For you Yamato... the journey ends. Call it punishment if you wish... or you may call it freedom." Matt's eyes widened as the light caught a tear reflecting sapphire blue.

"You are lying to me...." he trembled.

"No... you have earned the right to move on. You have earned freedom from the bond made so long ago."

The others watched in shocked awe as the being using Taichi's body lay his hand on Matt's wrist. There was a faint flash of blue light, and then as Taichi removed his hand. The tattoo was gone. The others gasped as Matt's eyes fell upon his clean wrist. And he cried for the first time in a hundred years. Mortal tears.

"I'm free?"

"You are.. Death will finally release you from your curse. Regardless of certain actions, you have earned this. You are free, digidestined."

As the dragon spoke, Matt's gaze shifted beyond them and off into the heavens which now were clear and full of stars. He stared up at them and his gaze traveled beyond the stars.

"Oh god..." he whispered as he finally faded away into the peace he had sought for so long. And there as all the others watched, Yamatto Ishida found his release.

The being turned and focused his saffron eyes on the digidestined who stood before him. The eyes were the doorways into the true nature of the being that could not be contained in either mech or man. The essence of the dragon god flowed through his gaze like pinholes in fabric of heaven. His radiant skin flashed alabaster as Kari stepped forward and spoke with a tremble in her voice.

"Taichi... is he?"

"The bearer of the crest of courage has perished in the becoming. It was his destiny to restore me. To give me the chance to make right the actions of Ishida... purge me of the plague... and correct several mistakes." his eyes fell upon Braedon, who gazed back at the dragon with child like awe. "Taichi.. His fire was extinguished, and now this body dies around me... Time grows short."

The being stepped forward to where the three stood. Kari had retreated to their side as she awaited the judgment of the being which created the digidestined in the first place.

"Hope and light are the key to all the other powers... They are linked to the world. Their weakened state has had a dark effect on humanity. You see the power of the crests now? Their burden?"

"Yes... we do now. We failed" TK spoke softly as he bowed his head. The dragon stared down on him without malice.

"No... you didn't. A lesson as important as this one is now learned. You understand that the crests cannot be diluted, or else the effect will be felt on humanity, you understand that. And that is not failure. But the mistakes must be made right." 

He turned to Braedon and opened his hand. The boy yelped as the darkened marking on his own wrist was expunged, and the twin markings were restored to Takeru and Hikari who fell to their knees in pain. Smokey gray was made black as the emblems of hope and light darkened to their one time glory. The others watched as the changes occurred in them. Kari's lavender streaked hair became chestnut brown once more as her eyes turned to cinnamon orbs. TK reared back as his blood red eyes teared, and then were washed clean. He stared back at them with sapphires as the silver mane he had bore for so long became golden locks again. The pain ceased as the two restored destined examined their bodies. They were just as remembered, like an old suit that still fit perfectly.

"You are restored... but sadly there is still one loose end." he glanced to Braedon who looked up helplessly. Kari cried out as the dragon stared down on him through Taichi's form. he would expunge the ninth just as he had the markings on his wrist.

"You were never meant to be destined... as cruel as it may sound."

"I know... I should have died as a human. And now you have to make that happen for real." he turned to Kari and TK with sad dark eyes that didn't go with his forced smile.

"It's ok... I've seen so many incredible things. Thank you for letting me be your brother. I'm ready." he smiled at them and both TK and Kari found courage enough to yell at the dragon.

"NO! Don't hurt him!" Kari cried.

"He doesn't deserve to be killed like this. It wasn't his fault." TK replied through a trembling voice. The dragon's eyes narrowed.

"Silence..." and the thunder rolled across the sky. They complied hesitantly. Turning once more to the ninth, he spoke.

"There was never meant to be a ninth digidestined... I only found eight worthy souls, and barely had strength to endow all of them. The strain of a ninth throws off the balance." he spoke as Braedon listened.

"You are not digidsestined now that the crests are restored to Kari and TK... but you have been immortal, and thus you are not a human either. I find myself at a impass with you Braedon... and so I must make a choice before this body perishes and my ability to act is gone." he motioned for the boy to rise to his feet, which was done without question.

"There must be eight and no more or no less.. I offer you a choice" their eyes widened as the dragon spoke.

"Take the crest of friendship and let it flow through you and grow. You will live forever and grow strong. You will see wonders beyond words, but I advise you to choose carefully...

You will come to know humanity. You will learn of all they can do, know all that their kind can achieve... but you will watch them fall short every time. You will see their light squandered, and their virtue abandoned... and you shall never have the luxury of forgetting. 

"You will spend eternity guiding them, and watching them fall. This is the burden of both gods and immortals who truly know mankind. The digidestined were formed to maintain the choice each human makes... To preserve their chance at achieving their destiny. To guide them through the dark horizons. 

"The choice is now yours... Braedon..." he spoke softly, and yet the reverence of his words flowed through the still earth like a tidal wave. Braedon closed his eyes. His lips trembled as he took a step forward.

"I accept." As he spoke, all grew still. The dragon raised his hand to the sky which swirled in gentle undulations as the halcyon silence took hold. The only noise was that of a low breeze which swept low to the ground and kicked sand at their ankles. Acting outside his own will, Braedon raised his hand and bit back the pain. From the distant skies a beam of blue streaked forth. The blue bolt wrapped around his wrist and sizzled like flame on flesh. 

Stones danced on the ground as the sapphire flame burned into his wrist. He snarled with pain as the mark was made. The blue fire swirled on his wrist as he fell to his knees, holding his blazing arm. Slamming both fists upon the earth tiny tributaries of blood flowed downward upon the cold earth. The crimson tide extinguished and all that remained was the blackened tattoo of the crest of friendship. As he crawled to his feet the dragon god spoke.

"The balance has been restored... Braedon is now the bearer of the crest of friendship." TK and Kari helped the boy to his feet as the being watched from Taichi's changed eyes.

Izzy stepped forward and looked to the dragon in human guise. He bowed his head.

"What about me..." Izzy asked softly "I made digimon into mecha.... changed them into weapons..." he closed his eyes as he subconsciously rubbed his mark. The dragon turned to him and came close to smiling, though still unaccustomed to human lips, and thus settling for a smirk of sorts.

"You Izumi... you have maintained my species. Digimon were not meant to be weapons.... but they were meant to be. Your actions have ensured that my kind has survived till my resurrection. Thank you for that." he suddenly clutched his chest and snarled in a reptilian growl.

"My time is growing short... This body was meant for a human soul... not mine. I have one final thing to do for you... One final choice I can offer to you." The digidestined watched as the dragon stepped forward.

"You have sacrificed much in your immortal lives. Come to know a great deal of suffering.... and found very little peace. My offer to you is a reward for your sacrifices. A chance to find peace.

The eight are restored... and now I offer you all an end. I am willing to restore your mortality. Make you human once more and let you receive the peace that Yamato has been granted. There must either be eight or none... and so I ask that you decide for yourselves. The gift can only be given if each is truly willing to become human again. This is your choice... your reward... Your compensation for all you have missed." They were silent with shock at the offered freedom each had sought for so long.

"But... what about Sora and Taichi? They deserve the choice. Braedon just became a destined..." 

"If you choose to be freed of the responsibility... I shall enlist other worthy mortals to fill the place of those who have chosen their freedom; there will always be eight destined.

As for Sora and Taichi.... they were given the choice to be reborn as mortals. And they have made their choices... Concern yourself not with the decisions of others... This question only you can answer."

"The new digidestined.... They would be starting from scratch...." Izzy questioned hesitantly.

"They would be as Braedon is now... He is immortal, but without the experience of the centuries you all possess. The new digidestined would be beginning afresh..." he replied.

"If we chose to be mortal... we could have children?" Mimi asked hopefully.

"Yes, you would be free to be parents and later grandparents."

Izzy smiled sadly as he looked at her. Mimi had always wanted to be a mother... and now she had the chance... TK squeezed Kari's hand as he stepped forward toward the dragon.

"If we make this choice.... would they have a chance? Would humanity be able to survive without us? The new digidestined would be weak... Could they really protect mankind?" his words were shadowy as he studied the being clad in Taichi's form. He seemed strangely sad.

"I don't know... Humanity is a tricky species to understand... They can achieve so much, and then destroy it so easily. I cannot see the future, that is beyond me.... but I can see the past. And that history proves either path is possible... That is the very reason I endowed eight souls with the power to change destiny for the better. 

That is the true legacy of the digital destined... they possess the capacity to make a new future for both of the twin species... digimon and human. By cultivating the most pure and true virtues of the eight souls, I made beings who can reshape the destiny of mankind. I did this in the hope that they could guide humanity to a possible destiny... One that you cannot even perceive yet...

"You all have shown the greatness of your species.. The nobility I see in the core of humanity. That is why I am offering you this... because you all are the most worthy to find peace." The great digimon's voice trembled with something as he spoke to them.

"The choice is yours... now make your decisions while I still have strength enough to create other destined. Step forward and be freed..." they exchanged a look between each of them which was followed by a nod of understanding. Izzy smiled softly as he looked up.

"We are not digidestined because we were made into digidestined once long ago. We are digidestined because we choose to be. Each lifetime, each year, and each day... we are the chosen because we chose that for ourselves... Destiny is not forced on anyone... It is a choice.." Kari said with a gentle resonance to her voice.

"We are the digidestined... and we will continue to be that for as long as we are needed." Izzy smiled as he looked up at the radiant form of Taichi. The dragon seemed to have developed more control over the facial muscles, for he now smiled.

"How refreshing it is to see that I made such a wise choice so long ago. Your kind is capable of such greatness.... You are proof of that...." he turned away from them and looked up at his mechanical form which hung there in silence.

"Now there is one balance left to be restored."

"What?" Joe questioned as Taichi turned to him and smiled.

"One last act while I am capable of it. Once I am done I shall return to the people of this world. I long to be reunited with them... To be divided amongst them, and feel what they feel. How strange it is that a god would long only to be part of the mortal soul."

"You... said something about a balance?" Kari asked. The dragon smiled through Taichi, and it almost had some of the warmth to one of Taichi's smiles. He looked up at the heavens.

"I am proud of you... digidestined" his voice was so close to Taichi's as said those words, and then he was gone. From Taichi's form a golden radiance shifted outward like ribbons of shimmering smoke. Tai collapsed to his knees, and then to his stomach where he remained still. The essence of the digital god was in perpetual motion as it swirled as spirits of amber. The entity that in itself was unnamed, spun outward and around them in gentle and wispy gesticulations.

Kari walked over to where Taichi lay, and with some effort rolled him over. He looked peaceful in death and she wasn't destroyed by the image of him lying dead on the earth. She took his hand and squeezed it gently before turning it wrist up. 

A black sun of rich hue stared up at her. its color was thick black, proof that courage thrived within its bearer. Tai was dead, and as a soft wind washed over them, the crest blew away like black sand which had merely been arranged on his wrist. She watched as the dark sand disappeared into the winds that carried them all to their next life, or perhaps to the place the dragon had offered as reward for their years of suffering. But the fading of the crest was proof that Taichi was really gone, perhaps never to be seen again by the bearer of light. She smiled as she kissed his bare wrist and returned it to where it lay.

The dragon of gold light lifted upward to where the Ryuujin-mon waited. It disappeared into the mech's vacant jewel and gave the dragon life once more. It lifted its noble snout to the destined and regarded them again through the silvery white eyes which burned upon the dragon's visage.

The beast's wings opened and kicked up storms of swirling clouds. It took flight with no more then two flaps and then hung there in the heavens. The dragon was radiant in contrast to the clouded sky which danced around him as if possessed with a playful spirit that willed the clouds to jubilance. The shimmering scales of sapphire turned to ones of alabaster as winds that were more than air began to dip down from the heavens and swirl against the dragon's form and bathed him in ethereal splendor. His tail coiled and straightened in a motion which stirred the clouds to further action. The sky was now moving in perpetual curling motions.

Before his attacks had surged with a great power that seemed almost ferocious, now the words flowed out like the eternal chronological rhythm of the sea which would churn forever, and was thus beyond might in its omnipotence.

"Genesis" The word was whispered now with lips but instead with heart. Though carrying no decibel, the word was heard in the very soul of all who would listen. The beginning... A word of power that surpassed that which was to destroy, for to create is a far greater show of preeminence. 

And in the beginning there was the word... And it was blinding.

The dragon lord disappeared as steel simply changed to energy. For that instant as the digidestined stared up at where the dragon had been, they saw something. The being was witnessed only from the corner of their eye, though they were staring straight at it. It was of sheer light that obscured almost as much as the very essence of the being hid. They couldn't see exactly what the being was, but that it was perhaps the real face of the giver of immortality. Perhaps the dragon god was just one more face for the real god to wear, or perhaps not. That question would haunt all of those who looked up and saw into the essence of creation.

From the being there came sheets of ethereal light which washed over all the world and bathed it in silver. The digidestined watched in awe as the earth began to heal. The scorched soil rolled over black and rich as skeletal trees exploded up and out from the newly remade earth. Their branches stretched outward to the sky and filled with leaves. From them the earth rippled outward with millions of blades of fresh green grass that had been extinct on this world for lifetimes. The growth and healing overtook the skeletal remains of man's buildings. Soon each ruined office building long derelict was ensnared within a vast matrix of roots and vegetation which painted scorched concrete green and lush.

From the glowing being of swirling light a beam of light split the earth in the distance. From the beam's impact, water surged forth. The trickling stream soon grew and stretched out around them into a river and then to tributaries which now fed the growth. It was not the earth of old... new landscapes had formed and the old were still locked away in hollowed antiquity.

The swirling clouds now shed tears of cool and clean rain. They watched in awe as all that had been was now restored to them. The dragon's form was gone, but the essence of the dragon god now effected the globe with life as trees stretched higher and reached out to form canopies of lush shade . 

Looking up at the swirling clouds TK gasped as they parted around the destined in a perfect elliptical eye of clear blue sky. No man had seen a blue sky in a hundred years... and now as they looked up, they felt tears mingle with clinging rain water. Beyond the perfect blue they beheld another miracle which was being born simultaneously with the earth's resurrection. Not the moon.... but undeniably more beautiful... a second earth now orbited its sister world with silent grace. It glowed with blue radiance as it shimmered like a jewel in the heavens.

"The digital world...." Mimi whispered in reverence.

The second planet faded away into invisibility as it had always been... Reached only by the pure and worthy. A world of data that was just as real as its sibling world. The balance was restored.

The swirling white energy that had been or had worn the dragon god now turned its attention to the mecha. Eyes were shielded as beams of silver light pierced the heavens and struck the mechs. Each steel frame was turned to white energy and then remade as small orbs which lay atop the earth where the mech had stood.

TK walked over and lifted the orb. He smiled. It was organic... beautiful real and unquestionably pure. A digi-egg. All the mechs had been returned to a form where they could be more then merely weapons in a war... but instead companions on a journey.

The being vanished into the perfect sky, but each human in colony or planet felt him. A being of limitless power, bound eternally to the mortals who were capable of so much.

Wounds had been healed... 

Hatred extinguished... 

Mistakes righted.... 

Worlds restored... 

And a second chance given.

Second chances

How wondrous it would be to not make mistakes,

To know that each choice made is the correct one.

Sadly that's a dream.

Man makes mistakes constantly, it's in his nature.

Also in his nature is the desire to correct his transgressions.

Its deeply rooted to seek atonement for sins, and expunge the mistakes made.

And so we seek out the second chances wherever they may be given.

Making and learning from mistakes are the nature of humanity.

Needing second chances is the measure of man.

Giving them is the measure of god.

  
  


Not The End.......


	9. Where do Horizons End?

Disclaimer: I don't own them. sad but true. Well this is the epilogue to dark horizons my little series from hell. I have had moments of pleasure with this series, but more frustration and writer's block then I think I would deserve if I was a reincarnation of the man who invented the infomercial or discovered Brittany spheres and got her that contract that opened the proverbial gateway to surround-sound hell. Well... maybe I deserve the writer's block if I had unleashed the pop pain upon the world... this chapter is too short, and uneventful. Its saving logic is that since they are immortal and lifetimes flow through repeating patterns where no drastic changes occur, it makes sense that this chapter wouldn't be a conventional epilogue. I was on the edge of making tai a hybrid like that clever reviewer suggested, but ultimately I decided to make him go chibi and illustrate that there is a purpose behind their incarnations, and that they didn't do what they had to do in the last lifetime. Sorry about the wait on this one... I have senior year finals and a trip to Aruba, so I was swamped for a while.

  
  


Mail me at logan91235@aol.com 

  
  
  
  


Dark Horizon

by Logan

  
  
  
  


"Where do horizons end?"

  
  
  
  


The corridor was dark and cast into cool artificial night. There was a faint smell of pine cleaning fluid in the air as the renowned scientist made his way to the corridor's end which faced off like a small balcony into a much larger chamber which hazed like smokey air. The floor was metal, though a lavish carpet had been rolled outward from the main hall and now marked the path to where he was bid to go, into the large alcove filled with the soft smokey light.

He wasn't nervous for he had walked this same corridor several times this month alone. It was more then many of the more acclaimed politicians could boast. Being asked to speak before the newly formed council. A conglomeration of the ruling bodies of both the space transport guild, various colony governors, and also the appointed leaders of the various countries of the newly restored earth. This covenant was new in many ways. It was the first forum, since the ancient united nations, where leaders would be able to discuss and negotiate policy with the intent on resolving conflicts without resorting to another war.

As all truly visionary ideas are, this council was fragile in its adolescence. Hostilities could quite possibly break this fragile thing apart and leave all hope dust and ash in this world that for the first time, had a good foothold with which to recover. If this was to work then it needed coddling in its infancy... and it had been receiving just that since its origins. Immortals had taken up positions of power within the governing body of this conclave, and now they gently urged it onward in the right direction.

He stepped beyond the threshold and felt the warmth of the white lighting which bathed his skin in ivory and illuminated the copper tendrils of his hair. He looked up at the circular alcove which were stacked one on top of the other before the peninsula in which he stood. He looked up and found the familiar faces of joe who now resided as chief representative to the medical boards. The doctor looked down at him, though showed no sign of recognition. If this arrangement of hidden immortals was to be successful, it depended on secrecy. 

"All to order! The conclave recognizes Izumi!" a female voice of soft timbre called out with authority bound to her position. Izzy smirked softly as he looked up at Mimi. She risked a quick smile to him before returning to her duties.

"Welcome back mr Izumi."

"Thank you for seeing me madam arbitrator, members of the conclave." he looked up at the figures of various men and women dressed in finer attire who now looked down on him with interest.

"Nonsense, your onions and observations have proved to be very notable. We value your insights." Mimi spoke in the tone of authority.

"Very well. I come to you on the issue of the new earth's colonization. Plans are being made to expand new colonies on the earth so it can establish further industry. I offer the conclave the benefit of a history lesson. Earth was destroyed by the very things now being brought forth. I am aware that it would be hundreds of years before the effects of this action to become notable, but I implore you all to remember the end result of those actions.

There are many issues that all demand attention, many more pressing then the reintegration to big industry on the planet. Relations to the new digital world for instance, or the fact that children are being born partnered to digimon who will potentially develop into very real threats. Even as we speak there are organic digimon out there who are capable of performing an act known as digivolution. It would appear that these digimon are different from those previously recorded in history. The digimon of the past were not capable of the mecha-digivolution that these new generation digimon are doing. It would seem that they have evolved as a species...

These matters are all pressing and bear great attention, but I fear that if we overlook the issue of development of the new earth it will begin a chain reaction of expansion and resource depletion that will ultimately lead us to the same end.

Another plague born of human mistakes may permanently eradicate digimon and human life. We were given a reprieve by the digital realm, but if we do not make significant effort I fear that we will eventually return to life trapped in the colonies with no planet of origin.

Humanity barley survived the wars and conflicts while in space. Colonies were never meant to house such a Populus, and the strain almost pushed us to extinction.

I ask that this conclave takes serious action in policing the expansion of mankind on the earth sphere. If we permit big industry to take dominion over the earth, we are damning ourselves to the same dark future we once endured." he paused as the delegates erupted in a thousand different conversations heated in argument as if his speech had stirred them as an alarmed flock of birds. He was silent as he heard them quarrel as all delegates do. There were accusations and argumentative shouts that soon set the chamber afire with baloney. Izzy was grateful as Mimi rose and quelled them with a strumming of a metal orb held in hand that served as gavel in this new conclave. It sparked and clanged against the metal cell which she peered out through as now she glowered upon them. several more clangs had spit out silver sparks before each delegate now hushed and looked into the girl's eyes. Mimi had smothered their words with a gaze capable of reducing magma to pyrite stone. Izzy had chosen well when he called her to be the head of this conclave.

Mimi was ideal... she bore no allegiance to colony or to earth. This life had began for her aboard a transport ship filled with vagrants without home. She had drifted her entire childhood and then mortal life without ever touching anything more then the hull of the large vessel where she had been born and supposedly would die therein.

In her mortal life she had been born from rape, and it would have seemed that her father carried a spark of perversion beyond that sin and straight to anouther. when she was thirteen her father finished what he began with her mother, and in the aftermath of that mind shattering hellish act, he awoke the true Mimi.

Only izzy and joe knew of her awaking into immortality this lifetime. The ship in which they traveled had been destroyed in an explosion of questionable origins. Mimi never owned up to the lethal discharge which killed her father and many other vagrant families. She had escaped in a pod, and watched as the prison her parents had sentenced her to, in their paranoia, was left as flaming scrap.

She had no alliances for all they knew, and she was well spoken with a gift for influencing others. She was accepted as the chairwoman mainly due to this act.

She spoke. "This conclave shall not be cast into further chaos. Each member who wishes to make a statement may do so in turn. Mr Kaiya, the conclave recognizes you.

"We members of the earth development guild deeply resent such allocations on your part mr Izumi. You have proven yourself to be a valued voice in this conclave, but do not step outside your expertise, you are a scientist and that doesn't give grounds to suck statements."

"With all due respect sir, my relation to this conclave is not classified to the scientific guild, I am a independent, and thus may speak on whichever field I choose. I meant no insult to your gild, but if you feel I am more qualified to speak scientifically I will do so.

Your conglomerates are among those in favor of the leveling of rainforest land. While i admit that will have little effect considering the amount you plan to harvest, it will however open the door to further advancements into the ecosystem. Less trees means less filtered air, which means more carbon dioxide in the oxygen. Excessive co2 filters into humans and builds up to the same epidemic found beginning in some of the lower income colonies.

I ask the representative of the medical guild to please explain the effects of the carbon syndrome..." izzy motioned to joe who rose and adjusted his glasses.

" Carbonic Muscularity Toxicity syndrome, or The Syndrom, as it has come to be known is a rising cause death among children in the space colonies. The excess of carbon dioxide in the air gradually builds up in the respiratory system, causing red blood cells to become deformed and thus causing all organs to begin to degrade. This syndrome grows worse each generation and ultimately ends in the death of children too weak to survive long enough to pass on the deficiency. The muscle tissue degrades rapidly, causing them to be bedridden. They tend to die of cardiac failure or of respiratory deterioration. It's a horrible way to die and completely avoidable with adequate filtration of oxygen." 

Izzy had stopped listening now. The argument was now between them. he would not be asked to contribute further and so with a slight bow he departed through the same corridor he had just entered through. As he passed it he was joined by three figures, each armed and formidable. Izzy smiled to them as they joined him.

"How did it go?" Takeru questioned as he remained focused on the path ahead.

"I started a fight... they might make the right decision, but at least they will be talking about it. Mimi and joe will make sure of that."

" good plan koshiro." Kari mentioned as she trotted at his side. "Have Mimi there as head of the conclave to insure that everyone will have a chance to state their opinions... and with joe as head of the medical guild he can prevent any motion from being unanimous. They would have to focus on it as opposed to just skimming over the issue."

"Doesn't mean they will make the correct decision" TK said softly.

"No.."

"But at least they have the chance." Braedon chimed in as he brought up the rear. There were doubts about this conclave... but there was hope from within it. They didn't speak any more of it as their words soon became drowned away by their booted footfalls on the metal floor. Marching off to a war without end, but one that must be fought. The soldiers of destiny... the digidestined. A sad troop of battle weary soldiers bound to their station only in honor and the most altruistic aspects of the species from which they originated. They marched down the hallway and off to other errands that could potentially win an endless war under the faded, and yet limitlessly exalted flag of hope.

They walked down the hallway as only three. But in a way beyond all others, they were legions unto themselves.

  
  


**************

  
  


the woman's voice raised across the grassy lawn and fell upon the boy's ears he smiled up at her from where he sat stooped on the lush grassy earth. At his side was a white tablet of drawing paper and a box from which several crayons of various bright and sunny colorations spilled upon the grass. A small black furry digimon lay at his side curled up in sleep. The baby digimon had only recently hatched, and was still concerned primarily with sleep. His hair was a nest of chestnut locks that was vaguely proofed and tousled as is often the style created by active children without mind for hair care. He craned his neck back across the lawn and gave a smile as bright as the day around him. The woman with the long hair of a similar hue to the boy's waved to him as she called out.

"Tai, it's almost time to come in!" she called out as her blue sun dress flailed softly in the cool breeze that whispered over the treetops from the nearby. There was a resemblance between her and the boy, but not a truly profound one, as this boy's origins spanned somewhat farther than the woman would come to know. They shared the bronze complection as any two who loved the daytime would, but the nature of both mother and son was more clearly shown in their mannerisms. Both were innocent and that was truly special in this age of questioning and darkness. 

Taichi was the only child of Natasha Lewis, widowed before her son's birth.. They were one of the first families to live on this new earth. Tomas was killed in an accident, leaving her and his son to a hard life. Tai was all that saved her from losing herself in the grief that could touch her all too easily if she didn't fight it.

He was born here, the first son of this new world. She had preyed for a healthy child, but never were expecting Taichi. All children are special in their own ways, but this one little boy seemed to be something more then what he appeared to be. He was gentle in a way that warmed the heart, and capable of more kindness and love then any other little boy could muster. He seemed different at times, in a way that could not be placed and could not even be adequately described. Though she was1 unsure of how exactly he was different, she thanked god for it, for he was all that could have dreamed in a little boy, and it was that difference in him that carried her through her great loss.

"Ok mommy! Just let me finish my picture!" he called back with a slightly childish slur to his speech. He grinned at her and then returned to his drawing. It was brightly hued and though somewhat scribbly, very well done for a boy his age. It featured a common theme for little kids who dreamed of adventure. The scene depicted a mech flying through the darkness of space with thrusters roaring. The scene could have originated from any story told from any one of the many wars in which mechs were present, though in all likelihood they were not grinning with large cartoonish smiles as depicted in this drawing.

Tai's current attention was focused on a large dragon mech which grinned with large sharp teeth, though not in a scary way. His tongue peeked between his lips as he concentrated intently on a straight line that proved to be far too difficult.

Upon finishing the stout six year old gathered up his supplies and carried them up the walkway and to the porch of the large brick two story house with digimon bouncing after in his wake. It was an actual house, for the first time people could live in homes again instead of slums. Tai struggled with the door and his supplies in an attempt to balance them while reaching up for the nob which loomed just high enough as to make it difficult.

After finally conquering the screen door the young boy burst inside alive with chatter of the artwork created. The door connected to the kitchen, and as little Taichi burst through he slipped on the tile and fell on his backside. His crayons spilled out over the soft cream-colored tile in cascades of color. The digimon seemed to giggle over tai's crash and continued down the hall and off to a converted dog bed which now served as his. Tai looked up sheepishly to his mother who was looking down on him with bemusement over his singular grace. 

"So what did you draw honey?" she smiled as she took the crayons from him and set them atop the counter while the boy stood on tip toes with hands clutching his pictures held out for her to see. She smiled as she took the papers from him and began to flip through them with a gentle smile and words of praise to the young artist.

"You really like them mommy?" he questioned still on tip toes as he peered up from the corner of the paper and up to his mother. She lowered herself to his level and lay the drawings safely atop the counter. The boy happily fell into his mothers soft warm arms. She embraced him tightly and lifted him up without breaking the hug. He squeezed back in childlike rapture over the attention.

"They are really pretty tai.. You're such a good artist." she kissed his nose and he giggled. He laughed like only a child can, with their whole heart. She sat the boy on the counter and he peered down over his artwork with her.

"Which is your favorite honey?" she asked as he began flipping through the pictures until finnaly coming to the one he liked best. She leaned down and studied the image with some curiosity. It was unlike the others in setting. Tai liked mechs and old stories about knights and samurai and of corse the stories about the old digiworld... but this picture seemed to be set inside the boy's own room. It featured a representation of little tai smiling and holding hands with a girl who was roughtly the same size as he, but possessed two angelic wings. She was perched on his window sill and judging by the effort put forth into her depiction was special to the young artist.

"What is this picture of?" the boy looked up and grinned a little.

"This is my friend. She's an angel." he pointed to her and his smile widdened.

"She's an angel? But where's her halo?"

"Well... err.... she's not that kinda angel." he struggled with his words.

"She's cool mommy, we play together and she tells me thease really neat stories! And she flies! Just like a mech, but with neat soft wings so she's even cooler!! And the best part is she's my size!" he threw his arms up in the air in emphasis to how fast she could fly. she laughed softly as the boy began to happily babble about his imaginary friend. 

"Has she taken you flying while you are supposed to be asleep?" he pouted a little.

"No... she's not big enough to fly both of us around. It would be so cool if she could, but maybe when she gets older, ya think?"

"Oh I'm sure she'll be flying you around all over the place in no time."

"You really think so?" his eyes grew big and sparkled with anticipation of flying through clouds.

"Would i lie to you squirt?" she smiled.

"No... but you'd tease me." he replied skeptically as he cut a playful glance to his mother who fained innocence.

"Cynic"

"Wha?" he cocked his head.

"Nevermind honey..."she reached into a small ceramic container on the far counter and withdrew two chocolate chip cookies. She handed tai one and laughed as the sheer ecstasy of a cookie washed over him and sent him off onto babbling about anouther subject simultaniously, this one all about his favorite cookies.

The woman listened as the boy spoke while nibbling and holding his cookie in two hands. She ate hers at a somewhat more leisurly rate when compared to the chattering boy who's face was now covered in tasty crumbs that had evaded his sweeping tongue.

Tai's mother turned away from the babbling boy and began preparing lunch for the two of them. yet as she was withddrawing a loaf of bread she turned back to the boy.

"Tai, what is your angel's name?" he looked up from his cookie and met his mother with a somewhat somber gaze for a child his age.

"Her name is Sora."

"That's a very pretty name... how did you cook up an unusual name like that in your little noodle?" she laughed softly yet he didn't get what was funny about it.

"Because she told me that was her name mommy..." he looked at her as if she were losing it. And that gaze hypnotized the woman for a time as to the complete earnestly behind it.

Normally when tai was playing tricks or even just imagining fantastic stories he had a grin to him that was insuppressible. He was not grinning in the least and that caught his mother for a moment before she finally dismissed it.

The afternoon grew closer as the sky changed from blues to oranges and reds and later purples and then finally to the starry skies of night. Taichi had ate dinner with his mother and now kissed her goodnight as he made his way up the carpeted stairs with a little more enthusiasm then most his age would show. He was a rare boy in that he never was fussy at the idea of going to bed. While his mother intrusted this fact to the sheer mercy of god which is not bestowed upon other parents to children of this age, little tai had a reason to look forward to the starry sky and luminous moon. It was under the black veil of night that a visitor came to him.

Tai stood on a little red stool facing a sink that was still too tall for him on tiptoes. He was brushing his teeth in his favorite light blue pajamas. He had made a detour to his room to grab them and change in the bathroom because he was a little shy about having his angel see him in his underwear. He blushed a little at the thought as he finished brushing and hopped down from the stool. 

He rushed to his room as quietly as possible and waited at the door to hear if his mother was still up. The house was still and quiet as any Egyptian tomb. Tai focused hard on sounds beyond the gentle creaking of a house in the coolness of night. There were no footsteps in the hall and no sounds from the computer or television. Tai could usually hear her if she was down there, and the silence meant she was most likely in bed, after a minute more tai decided that the coast was clear and thus trotted over to his window and lifted it to its utmost.

The air outside was cool and moist with the gentle dew that would settle upon the grass in the following morning. It smelled of jasmine, which hung against the side of the house in a great tangle of vines and white flowers. Tai looked out at the sky which was painted silver with stars and crowned with the ivory jewel of lunar splendor. 

He listened to the voice of the night around him as it sang out in the words of frogs crickets and soft winds, but among those lyrics none were so moving as the soft sound of wings on the wind. Tai stepped back as the figure of a child came to rest upon his windowsill her hair fluttered in the soft wind as two white wings curled at her sides. She perched there with all the poise of a great white bird as she looked in on the little boy with the blue pajamas. He watched her with a reverent awe that took him each time she returned to his window. Her face was that of a girl child's but the beauty of her seemed only born in heaven. She was more angel with that face then with the two white wings.

Her eyes took him in as ruby mirrors that burn not with destructive flame... but instead with a fire of spirit and soul that does not take from life as real fire does, but instead lends to it in a way that only those eyes and the sunrise which shares their hue can. Her pouty lips raised to a smile which cast her even deeper into radiance.

"You came." he smiled as he closed the gap between them and seized her in a gentle hug which was returned with arms and wings. She smelled like the flowers outside and was as soft to the touch as any of their petals. She lay a hand on the back of his head and pressed her forehead to his own while looking into his eyes.

"Of corse... you're my best friend tai." it was unfashionable for boys of tai's age to have female best friends, much less ones that you touch like he and Sora did. Somehow being as close to Sora as he could be made him feel better. Her touch triggered something very good inside him, and he did not recoil from that feeling. Tai called her his best friend, which was true, but also he had harbored a crush on her since the beginning of their interludes, and now he even planned to someday marry her, provided of corse that angels were allowed to marry. He meant to ask her about that sometime.

She slipped through the window and onto the carpeted floor of tai's room. She was a child in body and in many ways mind, but beyond the innocent surface of her lovely face there was a depth that exceeded the capacity to be seen. She was child in body and in mind, but the effect of the digital hybrid's genetic memory had once again brought her the awareness of her past lifetimes without the benefit of triggering.

Sora was in flux while bound to this child body. She was both awake and asleep in a difficult balance. Part of her was as mature as any of the immortals, yet just as much as she was aware of her true memory, she was that much a child also. The draw to Taichi was shared by both sides of the same coin, and thus she had chosen to reveal herself to him far sooner then caution would dictate. He proved to be all she had hoped and was unafraid. In fact he called her an angel...

The innocence and sweetness of his little mind had automatically caused the childish Sora to fall for him, the adult side of her didn't clash with the attraction either. She followed him to his bed where they both sat cross-legged facing each other. He was happily telling her about his day with a youthfulness that drew forth giggles from the child hybrid. Sora marveled at the sheer scope of his imagination that transformed grasshoppers to aliens and lizards to dragons. She listened until he finally finished his story and turned to her.

"Hey Sora... I was wondering something... you know those cool stories you always tell me about the digidestined?" she had told him about his past, though he took it more a game then a reality.

"Yeah, what about them?"

"Where do you hear all of them? Did your mommy tell you?" he cocked his head in inquiry.

"I don't have a mommy tai..." she replied in her childish voice that bore only the faintest ripple of the depth beneath. "She left when I was really little." tai's face washed over to horror as his childish completion made sense of her reply.

"She left? Who gives you cookies!?" Sora nearly fell off the bed as the adorable boy endeared himself even deeper into her heart. Regaining some composure she spoke.

"Well no one... but its ok, I take care of myself." his gaze brought sobriety to her as he spoke, not as the child, but as the sleeper within the child.

"Its not ok... no one should have to be alone like that." she blinked at him for a moment and observed the exigency about the look he was casting to her. not the look of a child, but instead the look of the ancient. She was on the verge of checking his wrist when he leaned back in bed reaching over to the nightstand and withdrew a cookie he had saved from his dinner. He reached over and lay it in her open hand.

She looked down at the chocolate chip cookie and then back up to the boy who was now grinning broadly. She cracked a small smile as she took a bite.

"Since you don't have a mommy, I guess I can be the one to give you cookies." he smiled softly in that child grin of his that was as frictionless as water against air. Sora was moved by a feeling she couldn't quite identify as she leaned over and softly placed a kiss on his lips. He froze as though he were a statue as she gently pressed her soft tulip lips against him, and as she pulled away, his face was painted in a cherry blush. She too blushed a little as his hand tentatively made contact with the spot her lips had consecrated with such sweet contact. They sat together in silence for a time as tai slowly allowed a smile to creep over his face. she took another bite of the cookie as his croaking voice came to him.

"T-that was my first kiss..." he whispered in awed reverence. She smiled as she turned over her wrist and tentatively fingered the pale shadow of a heart that would not darken again until fate decreed. Tai had a similar marking on his own wrist.

"No... it wasn't." she thought back over a sea of memories more precious then a sea of silvery pearls. "you just can't remember..."

"You were being for-real about all the stories you told me... about me being a hero, and you being a princess..." he asked with more credence to her tales.

"I was only a princess a few times..." she replied

"You were my princess though.... just like in the stories... We were married... We had adventures... we were grown ups..." his voice was as meek as a whisper.

"Yeah... we were a lot of things... and a lot of things to each other too. she touched his little hand with her own and he didn't recoil from the touch. He looked at her with a sadness in his eyes.

"I want to remember... I want to remember all of it." he whispered.

"Not all of the memories are good..."

"But some of them are worth it." he touched her hand softly, then squeezed it.

"Will I remember Sora? Someday?" he asked with all the innocence of his child form though motevated by a desire that teetered on what lays beyond childhood.

"Someday... you will. But once you remember, things won't be the same for you. You can't go back to being just an ordinary person. And you'd have to say goodbye to her." Sora smiled sadly as she motioned tword his mother's bedroom. Tai looked in the direction with downcast eyes.

"She'd be sad..."

"Yeah... that's why you shouldn't be in a big rush"

"But what if it never happens?"

"Then you'll have to settle for my stories. She grinned a little, yet cut short as her ears perked at a sound beyond the spectrum of tai's ears. He followed her gaze tword the door and found no indication of her attention. He turned back to a fluttering sound of birds on the wing, or in this case girl on the wing as a soft rustle of wind tousled his hair. She was gone in that same heartbeat that he felt the pressure on the bed lessen. Her only calling card floated in rocking sweeps downward motions on the veins of cool night air. The feathery plume made small circlets as it came to rest upon a bunching of sheet.

A moment later the nob rattled and turned as the oak doorway parted for tai's mother, who was clad in a blue bathrobe and silken white nightgown. Her dark hair cascaded over her shoulders as she stepped into the room and looked around with a perplexed expression.

"Tai... I heard voices. Who were you talking to?" she was slightly alarmed as she noted the computer was off and that nothing else that was capable of being the source of the noise was active. She looked at tai who cocked his head at her as he sat cross-legged on the bed.

"Hi mommy, isn't it past your bedtime?"

"Don't play around tai! I heard voices from up here." she was shaky at the thought of someone else being in with him, her little helpless Taichi. She knew that this world, though beautiful, could be dark.

"It was just Sora..."

"Tai this isn't the time for that."

"It was mommy... she was here!" she was preparing to continue, but stopped altogether as she saw the silvery white feather on his mattress. She shakily walked over and picked it up. It weighed nothing, but seemed to be made of something more then mearly plumes of wispy down. The feather was steel made silk that radiated with a warmth that was different then anything she had ever felt. It had a heat which radiated outward and into the bones of her fingers. It didn't burn, simply resonated with a warmth that bore no plausible source.

"Sora..." he repeated as she stared at him incredulously. Her words wouldn't come when she bid them and so she made her way to the open window. Her fingertips lingered on the sill as she looked out over the night. Clouds were laced with silver as they wafted across a star-speckled sky. In the distance trees swayed their branches which glowed faintly with a moonlight frost. A nightly breeze gently stirred the sleeping earth to gentle motion as grassy fields shifted and heaved like silver waves in a ocean of meadow. The sky hung over this small little world as a thing of mercy rather then a bleak shadow of eminent doom she felt the breeze and listened to the distant crashing of ocean waves.

She could feel herself being watched from that blackness, but the eyes of the night were not filled with menace. She was no psychic mind reader or clairvoyant in any extent, but as she stared out over that night, feeling the gaze of the being she could only name as Sora, she felt the compassion in those eyes. She debated closing the window, but instead hesitantly removed her hand. 

She turned to little tai. "Goodnight honey..."

"Night mommy..." he replied as he shifted back into his pillow and curled around his blanket as though it were a person he wished to cradle and hold. He seemed different to her somehow... the birthmark on his arm seemed faintly darker and more clear upon his wrist, as though the strange little shape that almost looked like a picture of a sun got more tanned then the forearm on which it sat. He seemed older then six as he sat there looking at her with his head on the pillow, still the little boy she loved, but with a wisp of the man he would become someday. A silent wisdom tempered with a love that seemed almost supernaturally profound for a child's face, and still profound if it were worn by a ninety year old man who had known compassion for centuries. He would grow up to be a special person...

She turned to the door and left him there to his dreams. She returned to her bedroom, but not to the bed. Instead, she came to one of the bookshelves which littered her home and searched the spines until coming to a volume in brown leather. It was a encyclopedia of mythological creatures: demons, devils, gods, saints, and angels. She read the section on angels and found no being that matched tai's picture of Sora. She was no cherub, and no child archangel, but something about the boy's reverence to this Sora defined her clearly as much a seraph as any harp playing messenger to ever be depicted in song or word.

She turned to the beginning of the section and read a definition for angels. They had many forms and names, but they are beings of hope and salvation that in one way or another, protect and watch over humanity. Messengers bearing tidings of salvation to those who are without it. She thought of little Taichi's drawing. Him and Sora arm in arm.

She read from the book with awe as the eyes in the night watched her faint smile from the window's threshold. As she turned to the window from which she knew she was being observed she caught sight of the girl. A child's smile with eyes that pierced the heart. She had smiled before vanishing with no more then the length of a passing heartbeat between appearing and vanishing. Natasha knew that the girl had allowed her this glimpse.

"Protectors of hope, and messengers of salvation." she read softly aloud and smiled.

  
  
  
  


**************

  
  


"So we're angels now?" Sora laughed as she flew up and off to a distant tree from which to observe the house. She was a child, but also aware of the eternity of life she had known. It was a strange mixture to be so full of hope and also so full of despair. She had lost faith in all love but that of Taichi in the previous life. She died in his arms and was offered a chance at forgetting the memory of it all. She had almost taken the god's offer, but losing the memory would rob her of the memory of Taichi.

He was her north star, the one shining point of light which guided her. she had lost faith in love, but his light had once again guided her back. As a digidestined she had watched the corse of history unfold, and yet now she had no idea what her place in it was. She had been reborn as a digital hybrid. 

Whatever moves the wheel of fate, god, or something beyond our perception, had willed her to be born once again as a hybrid. She didn't know the purpose behind this will, what she was destined to do as a hybrid, but now she looked forward to seeing where the winds of fate blew her, for in that instant when she had touched the essence of the god, and been offered the choice of freedom, she glimpsed a part of the destiny which they were ultimately traveling tword. She didn't know details, simply that whatever the purpose, it was beyond comprehension, and it involved Taichi and herself in some way.

  
  


Sora watched the mother for a time and then Taichi for a while longer before she would depart. She watched him and was filled with love. There was no ending as there was no beginning. There were times of peace, there were times of war. Lifetimes passed in a rhythm as ancient as the ocean's tides. Life maintains a balance of good and evil, it is all a no more then a thread upon a tapestry that is so massive its pattern is beyond comprehension. She didn't fear the future, and was not haunted by the past. The future would be filled with new evils and new trials for both immortal and mortal together. but a blow had been landed and a victory, however small, had been won.

  
  


The future had once been called a dark horizon, but somehow that seemed different now. The digidestined could change destiny, and maybe they had. The future that loomed before them seemed not as bleak as it had been, maybe it was just slightly different, one shade of lighter grey from the black which had once stood like the banners of distant armies advancing tword Armageddon. It was a small step, minimal when compared to the advancing evils of the future, a single stone to divert an ocean, but regardless of all else, the dark horizon loomed that much farther in the distance. 

For the first time in a thousand years... Sora knew hope. 

  
  
  
  


Have faith in tomorrow, have trust in today

find your truth in the moment and let come what may.

  
  


Build your own future, with your own hands

cast not a glance to the hourglass, keep no tally of sands.

  
  


The horizon beyond us can be dark or light

it's born of our actions, our wrongs and our rights.

  
  


Shadows will gather where light is forsaken

so guard close your footing on this path you have taken.

  
  


A word of assurance: you'll get what you're due.

And when the dark horizon comes, it's coming for you.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


There are no endings...


End file.
